Ralf Schumacher gives his verdict on Toto Wolff’s treatment of Kimi Antonelli after Dutch Grand Prix nightmare

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is in desperate need of a strong race weekend after another difficult outing at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff saw his drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, cross the line in fourth and sixth on Sunday.

However, Antonelli had 15 seconds worth of penalties to account for after a collision with Charles Leclerc and speeding in the pit lane, dropping him down to 16th.

Antonelli later apologised to Ferrari for the Leclerc incident, while speeding in the pit lane is an error that even a rookie shouldn’t be making, especially as the top speed in the pit lane was increased at the Dutch Grand Prix to try and encourage alternative strategies.

The 19-year-old has had a tricky recent run, only interspersed by a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Since his Sprint Race pole in Miami, where Antonelli scored 10 points across the weekend, the Italian has only finished in the top 10 twice: in Montreal and at the Hungaroring.

This has raised concerns about whether Wolff made the right choice in promoting Antonelli into Lewis Hamilton’s old race seat.

Ralf Schumacher has provided his verdict on the decision and is only seeing the positives in the situation.

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Ralf Schumacher thinks Toto Wolff has made a ‘great’ decision backing Kimi Antonelli

Schumacher was covering the race for Sky Sports Germany in Zandvoort, and after watching Antonelli’s difficult return after the summer break, he said: “That’s how it should be. That’s how you have to do it.

“When you give a young man an opportunity like this and he’s gone through all the junior classes in a fast-track programme, then when he gets to the top, he needs time, and I think it’s great that they’re supporting him and that he himself knows what he did wrong.

“The speed was definitely there. It was a bit tough at the beginning of the weekend, but in the end, he was there.

“He certainly still has to work on that.”

Wolff was happy with Antonelli’s aggressive approach to the Dutch Grand Prix, even if he misjudged his move on Leclerc.

It’s a completely opposite take to that of Jacques Villeneuve during his coverage of Sunday’s race.

Villeneuve thinks Antonelli is only ‘getting worse’ and has questioned whether he has what it takes to be a Formula 1 driver.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

How Charles Leclerc reacted to being taken out of the Dutch Grand Prix by Kimi Antonelli

Leclerc may not have been on for a podium at Zandvoort as Isack Hadjar drove brilliantly to hold him off; however, he was set to put a small dent in Russell’s lead over him in the drivers’ championship.

Asked about the collision after the race, the Monegasque driver said: “I wouldn’t describe it as a rookie mistake. I think it’s just a mistake which can happen in the first year or the fifth year.

“On a track like this, you need to be aggressive [to overtake], but that was too much.”

Antonelli took full responsibility for the error after the race and admitted: “For the contact, obviously, it’s on me.

“I tried to avoid it, especially when I saw he was coming back in front, but it was not enough.

“So obviously I feel sorry to [for] Charles and to the team, and now we move forward.”

Mercedes are set to extend Antonelli’s contract, but the length of his new deal is going to be particularly interesting.

With Mercedes still holding an interest in Max Verstappen, Antonelli will know that if he only signs a one-year deal, he’s in serious danger of being replaced by the four-time world champion.