Mercedes PR ‘fell a bit short’ after Toto Wolff’s Kimi Antonelli slip-up in recent interview

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Mercedes finally confirmed the signing of Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Italian Grand Prix last time out. It had been clear for months that Antonelli was the favourite to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Wolff held talks with Max Verstappen but the world champion decided to stay at Red Bull for 2025. He may revisit a move next year.

Verstappen never seemed a likely acquisition, with Antonelli always more realistic. Mercedes made it clear from the outset that they favoured him over Carlos Sainz, the outstanding free agent on the market.

It was a simple solution for the Silver Arrows given that the Italian was already part of their driver academy. Antonelli won four single-seater championships before reaching Formula 2 level this year.

While he hasn’t hit the heights many expected in the series, he still ranks a commendable sixth in the championship with 99 points. He has two victories to his name – the first in the Silverstone Sprint and the second in the Budapest Feature.

He’s also comfortably outperformed teammate Oliver Bearman, who will race in F1 with Haas next year. Antonelli crashed in his hotly-anticipated FP1 outing at Monza but Mercedes didn’t seem concerned by the mistake.

Mercedes’ PR team didn’t react effectively after Toto Wolff accidentally confirmed Kimi Antonelli

According to Ronald Vording, a journalist at Motorsport.com Netherlands, Mercedes’ impending move for Antonelli had become one of F1’s ‘worst-kept secrets’. In fact, Wolff accidentally confirmed it even before the official announcement.

During a media session at the Dutch Grand Prix last month, the team principal said he ‘wants it to work with George and Kimi in 2025’ (via The Mirror). This pre-empted Mercedes’ planned unveiling in Italy.

The PR team at Brackley weren’t able to deal with this ‘slip of the tongue’. They had been trying to keep things under wraps until qualifying day at Monza.

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“The announcement of Andrea Kimi Antonelli was one of the worst-kept secrets of the Formula 1 paddock,” Vording wrote. “In Zandvoort, Toto Wolff actually already revealed it twice in one media session with the Dutch press, after which Mercedes PR fell a bit short.

“The best part is that Wolff then responded to his ‘slip of the tongue’ with a new ‘slip of the tongue’ to TV crews, by saying that the news would become official in Monza.”

Eddie Jordan says Toto Wolff has already made a mistake with Kimi Antonelli’s career

Antonelli has signed a one-year deal at Mercedes, which indicates that Wolff is aware of the risk. The teenager must prove that he merits their long-term faith.

It is one of the most daunting tasks a rookie has ever faced. He’ll be succeeding Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history, and immediately racing for a team who could conceivably be title contenders.

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan says Wolff has made a mistake with Antonelli. It would have been better for his development, he says, if he’d spent a year or two on ‘loan’ at a team further down the grid.

Mercedes are interested in both McLaren drivers for 2026 amid the developing rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. With Verstappen still in the picture too, Antonelli may find the immediate competition overwhelming.