Toto Wolff explains Mercedes Kimi Antonelli strategy in ‘contaminated’ Williams claim

Unlike George Russell, Kimi Antonelli goes straight into the Mercedes upon his F1 2025 debut, but there is a very clear tactic to that.

And Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff would explain their thinking, as they look to nurture their protégé as he takes his first F1 steps, rather than him arriving “contaminated” by starting out at Williams.

Mercedes want a pure Kimi Antonelli

When Russell made his step up to Mercedes in 2022, it came after three seasons in Formula 1 with Williams – a Mercedes power unit customer – and teenage sensation Antonelli was also linked with going down that path, either as a mid-season Logan Sargeant replacement, or for F1 2025.

But, Williams went with Carlos Sainz from F1 2025 on a multi-year deal, while Franco Colapinto has replaced Sargeant until then, with Antonelli going straight into the Mercedes F1 2025 line-up as their replacement for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who is on his way to Ferrari.

And for Wolff, the methodology is clear.

“Now is the time to make a change in terms of generation after the departure of Lewis, because nothing will be as it was before,” Wolff explained to Autosprint .

“We will be dealing with a young team next year. Going into the season with George and Antonelli means we are opening a new era. The previous era was great and now is the time to turn a page and make a new start.

“The reason Antonelli is driving immediately for Mercedes, and will not first make his debut at Williams is because you want him fresh, not contaminated – if you can put it that way – by external experiences.

“If he went to another team first, he would learn different things, behaviours, have different notions about technical things than us.

“We want to avoid that. I think it only brings advantages to have a young driver with you right away.”

How the F1 2025 and F1 2026 grids are looking so far

👉 F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Lewis Hamilton and 12 other drivers already confirmed for 2026

Mercedes’ strategy with Antonelli will play out from F1 2025, but someone who feels this is not the right path is former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan.

In his opinion, starting out at Williams is what would have been best for the 18-year-old.

“Kimi Antonelli, he should be in Williams or somewhere else where Toto can place him. It’s what we’ve been saying for ages,” said Jordan on the Formula For Success podcast .

“Remember what Bernie Ecclestone [former F1 chief] always, always used to say when you go looking for money, or you go looking for anything you like, he says ‘earn the right’. That’s all he’d say, ‘earn the right to ask’.

“And so at the moment, I don’t see how Antonelli has earned the right. Not yet. [He] doesn’t give me that factor of total belief.”

Antonelli crashing out early in his F1 debut during FP1 at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix heightened the scepticism for some regarding Mercedes’ decision, but Russell fully backed his team’s call to name Antonelli his new team-mate.

“When I look back to when I was 18 years old there’s obviously so much demand,” he told media including PlanetF1.com in Monza.

“But I think as a driver, you have the speed or you don’t have the speed and I’m very confident Kimi has the speed.

“I think everybody on their journey is going to make mistakes. That’s part of life and part of this sport.

“No doubt Kimi is going to learn from yesterday [his crash during FP1], but he’s definitely got the speed to help Mercedes get back to the front of the grid for the next year onwards and that’s exactly why he’s going to be in the car alongside me next year.

“I’ve always believed that you gain a lot over time with experience in terms of how to deal with a race weekend, the tyres, the team, but I don’t believe I’m any faster today on broad pace than I was when I was 17 years old.

“And I think you’ve either got the speed or you don’t have the speed and Kimi absolutely has the speed.

“He’s proven that in all of his categories, there will be mistakes on the way, as there were for for all of us, I think every single driver on the grid in Formula 1 in the first couple of seasons made very visual mistakes, and that’s going to be obviously highlighted more for any driver who’s at the front of the field.

“But Kimi, he’s exceptionally fast. No doubt he’s going to be really keeping me on my toes next year and I’m really looking forward to a new challenge.

“Three years working with Lewis has been exceptional, but [I am] really looking forward to seeing what we can do together from next year onwards.”

Read next: Toto Wolff declares Max Verstappen pursuit over: ‘I’m not flirting outside’