Toto Wolff reveals three-year development plan for Antonelli

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has unveiled a three-year development plan for young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli — who recently achieved his first podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Wolff’s confidence in Antonelli stems from his exceptional karting achievements — the Italian driver has been part of Mercedes’ development program since age 11.

“We have a good group of scouts in our Mercedes-Benz junior programme, and that’s important. In a way, it works like soccer academies or tennis academies that identify talent very early on,” Wolff explained.

Currently, Antonelli sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 63 points in his debut season. While still adapting to various new circuits, the 18-year-old driver has shown good consistency.

“With Kimi, he doesn’t know all of the circuits — it was his first time in Montreal. But the car was good, and he was able to be fast,” added Wolff.

Wolff emphasized that Mercedes is committed to nurturing young drivers with sustained support — rejecting the concept of rotating drivers within the team.