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Guenther Steiner was not impressed with Toto Wolff’s message to Kimi Antonelli after he won his maiden Grand Prix.
It was a career milestone for Antonelli in Shanghai, as he graced the top of the podium for the first time in his Formula 1 career, flanked by his teammate, George Russell, and one of his idols, Lewis Hamilton.
Both Hamilton and Max Verstappen predicted big success for Antonelli in the future, noting that this would be the first of many race wins for him in his career.
Kimi Antonelli’s win in Shanghai makes him the second youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history. Will Max Verstappen’s record ever be broken?!
Let us know in the comments below!
Antonelli had a stellar drive, even with the late hiccup at the end that prompted Toto Wolff to tell Antonelli to bring it home and stop taking unnecessary risks.
But it was Toto Wolff’s message after Kimi Antonelli won the race that irked Guenther Steiner, who saw it as the Mercedes boss using it as a moment to pat himself on the back.
READ MORE: Toto Wolff believes George Russell wants Max Verstappen as a teammate to prove he is a better driver
Guenther Steiner says Toto Wolff rattling off Kimi Antonelli questions in post-win message was unnecessary
After Kimi Antonelli crossed the chequered flag in Shanghai, Toto Wolff sent a radio message to the young driver which rattled off the criticisms and questions surrounding him when he first joined the team.
“He’s too young. We shouldn’t put him in a Mercedes. Put him in a smaller team. He needs the experience. Look at the mistakes he makes. Here we go, Kimi. Victory.”
Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Guenther Steiner questioned why Wolff would make Antonelli’s moments about proving the doubters wrong and himself right.
“It was total self-promotion. Make sure that everybody knows that I didn’t do anything wrong. And Toto wouldn’t need that. But I think Toto has a little bit of a complex there. The guy won. You don’t need to explain it now, Toto.
“Everybody believes it. You can see it, you can feel it, you can hear it. You don’t have to tell everybody. Yeah, because everybody doubted me. I mean, in the end, Kimi did it, and not Toto.”
READ MORE: George Russell should be worried about Max Verstappen as new Kimi Antonelli contract detail emerges
After Kimi Antonelli’s win in Shanghai, which F2 graduate will be the next to win their first Grand Prix?
Toto Wolff still hesitant to let Kimi Antonelli be mentioned in title conversation
Despite his incredible performance in Shanghai, and the fact that he is just four points behind his teammate and championship leader George Russell, Toto Wolff isn’t ready to have Kimi Antonelli’s name be mentioned in the title conversation.
Wolff admitted that Antonelli’s title prospects must be avoided for the time being, as that is a goal too high for him.
In the past, Wolff has expressed Russell would be backed over Antonelli in a potential title fight, as he is Mercedes’ lead driver and has the experience to get it done.
But if Antonelli continues to perform the way he has this season and wins more races, Wolff may have to make some difficult decisions.
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