Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in his debut year in Formula 1, has already secured his first podium finish. The young Italian crossed the finish line third in Canada, just behind teammate and winner George Russell. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is not surprised by Antonelli’s success. The Austrian reveals how Mercedes’ ‘scouts’ spotted the Italian’s talent early on, although he expects Antonelli will need at least three years to become truly competitive.
With his recent first podium finish in Canada, Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the third teenager in Formula 1 to stand on the podium. Only Max Verstappen, 18 years old at the time of his first podium, and Lance Stroll, also 18, preceded the Italian. Antonelli’s debut season with Mercedes is proving quite successful, which does not surprise his team boss Toto Wolff at all.
“Kimi has been in our junior program since he was eleven. You can recognize talent from the age of 10 these days, when children start participating in international karting series,” Wolff tells the Bloomberg’s Hot Pursuit podcast. “We have a good group of scouts in the Mercedes-Benz junior program, and that’s important. In a way, it works just like football academies or tennis academies that identify talent very early on.”Wolff also immediately explains what the ‘scouts’ at Mercedes are specifically looking for in emerging talents. “If a child starts at the age of eight and is already competing against older children, that’s a good indication,” continues the Mercedes team boss. “If that child is a year younger than everyone else and still wins the championship, that’s another good indication. And Kimi has won in all these categories. That’s very exceptional.”
Three Years
Despite Antonelli’s talent being noticed early on, Wolff emphasizes that the young Italian still needs time to fully acclimate to Formula 1. This is especially true as rookies must adapt to the nuanced art of tire management, which is crucial in the sport. “You probably need a three-year program before the young driver can challenge his more experienced teammates. I mean, George (Russell) is now one of the best drivers in Formula 1. You have to accept that there will be difficult weekends, that performance may be less than expected. But that’s just part of it.”
