F1 fans think Toto Wolff made a crucial Kimi Antonelli error after watching his Belgian Grand Prix qualifying interview

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It has been a difficult weekend for Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes after failing to progress outside of Q1 in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.

The young Italian was knocked out of the session early on, following on from a disappointing Sprint race in which he finished towards the rear of the pack.

He will start the race from 18th on the grid after being beaten by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in the dying moments of the session.

After the session, Antonelli was seen visibly upset with his performance and cut a dejected figure when speaking to media.

Taking to the social media website X (formerly Twitter), F1 fans believe Toto Wolff might have made one mistake with the 18-year-old.

F1 fans think Kimi Antonelli should’ve done a year at Williams before Mercedes

Antonelli was the most highly anticipated rookie heading into 2025, especially as Wolff chose him to replace Lewis Hamilton.

But fans think the decision to put him in early at Mercedes instead of giving him a few seasons at a midfield team might have been too much for him, especially after seeing him crack under pressure at Spa.

“This is why he should have been in the Williams first. Learn the ropes with less pressure,” said one fan.

Another fan wrote: “I like and support Kimi. But pressure is the price you’ve got to pay. Hope he turns this situation around.”

One fan thinks Wolff should’ve done the same with Antonelli as he did with Russell: “The pressure they put on Antonelli by dumping him in a top seat alongside Russel and replacing Hamilton is insane. George did 3 years at Williams. Max & Charles did one year at Toro Rosso & Sauber. It’s ridiculous.”

One fan wrote: “Kimi Antonelli should have spent a season or two at Williams or somewhere else. Toto Wolff shouldn’t have put him in the Mercedes.”

Another fan added: “I like and support Kimi. But pressure is the price you’ve got to pay. Hope he turns this situation around”

Fans also felt it was likely Antonelli would be emotional because of his age: “It’s sad they have to go through all the emotions in front of others. He’s literally 18. Let him cry, let him learn, let him breathe. Not everyone is Verstappen.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli learning things the hard way at Spa Francorchamps

Spa Francorchamps is one of the most challenging tracks to string together a lap on the F1 calendar, largely due to it being among the longest.

It’s a real ‘drivers’ circuit that rewards courage, but Antonelli has struggled on his debut in F1 despite having good results in the feeder categories.

His best lap was nearly a second slower than Russell’s, who qualified in sixth place, illustrating the gulf between the pair.

Antonelli has already acknowledged that qualifying is his weakest attribute in his rookie season so far, having admitted that he is not happy with his European season thus far.