Kimi Antonelli has two more years to prove himself to Mercedes after a challenging start to life with the Silver Arrows in F1, according to team principal Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelli will be given two more seasons at Mercedes(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has announced that Kimi Antonelli is likely to be given an extra two years to prove himself after his contract runs out at the end of this season. The Italian, 18, was thrown into the spotlight before the start of the current F1 campaign when he stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s shoes, penning a one-year deal while the seven-time world champion left for Ferrari.

Antonelli’s time in F1 since then hasn’t been all plain sailing, with the rookie having endured two retirements and settled for an 18th-place finish in Monaco. That has left him seventh in the Drivers’ Championship standings after 10 races.

As a result, some concerns have emerged over whether the teenager has done enough to impress Mercedes team principal Wolff and secure his seat for another year. That’s especially pertinent given the rumours linking Max Verstappen with a potential shock move from Red Bull to Mercedes.

Yet, Wolff, who’s been moulding Antonelli since the youngster joined Mercedes’ junior ranks in 2019, has made it clear that he is very much part of the Brackley outfit’s long-term plans.

The Austrian went on to reveal that he could give Antonelli more time in the form of another two years for him to truly reach his lofty potential.

Wolff said in an interview with Bloomberg: “Managing the tyres has become really difficult. It’s not enough to be fast on a single lap or in the race. It’s important to exploit the tyres without sliding and without overheating them.

“Look at Oscar Piastri. It took him a year and a half to get to the level of Lando Norris, and in 2025, for the first time, he is ahead.”

Toto Wolff believes Kimi Antonelli can become a world champion(Image: Getty)

Wolff added: “Antonelli will probably need a three-year programme. That’s how long a young driver needs to challenge a more experienced and faster teammate.

“But we would never have entrusted the seat to a driver who we don’t consider a potential world champion.”

Wolff’s comments come after Antonelli secured an impressive maiden podium in F1 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He followed his landmark achievement by rushing back to Italy to take on the equivalent of his A-Level examinations.

Meanwhile, the future of his veteran team-mate George Russell has also been the subject of discussion, with the British driver’s three-year contract also set to end in December.

Russell has enjoyed a steady upward trajectory with the Silver Arrows which included a Grand Prix victory in Canada, but it is unclear where his future will lie if Verstappen ends his Red Bull contract early.

In the scenario where Russell leaves Mercedes to make way, an unnamed Red Bull source speculated to Auto Motor und Sport: “If Wolff takes Verstappen, he’ll be changing two drivers. Verstappen would ruin Antonelli.”