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Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelli was guilty of ‘overpushing’ at the end of Miami Grand Prix qualifying last weekend.
Antonelli became the first driver since Michael Schumacher 1994 to take his first three pole positions consecutively, outpacing Max Verstappen by a tenth and a half. Ayrton Senna also achieved that feat in the 1980s.
It was a somewhat nervous end to the session for Antonelli, who was three and a half tenths clear after the first run but blew his second lap with an early lock-up. Fortunately, Verstappen was the only one of his rivals who made a meaningful improvement, and even that wasn’t enough.
Antonelli is off to a legendary start in 2026 🔥 Where will he cement himself amongst the sports icons?
He joins Senna and Schumacher as the only F1 drivers to secure their first three poles consecutively
Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelli can get carried away
Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, Wolff called Antonelli’s first lap ‘special’ but suggested that the 19-year-old became overconfident on his second run.
Wolff says Antonelli has previously ended up in the ‘wall’ when he has made that mistake, with his FP1 debut at the Italian GP perhaps the clearest example. The home favourite was lighting up the timing screens before he paid the price for carrying too much speed into the final corner.
“That first lap was really special, because he was three or more tenths ahead of the next guy,” he said. “That made the pole.
“But then it was a [typical] Kimi [moment]. We are having confidence, then we are overpushing it, but that’s how he is.
Is Kimi Antonelli the best teenager F1 has ever seen?
“It’s already an improvement because in the past it would end up in the wall. Now it’s just a missed lap.
“He’s just showing his speed and that’s really nice to see.”
Antonelli went on to win the race after key overtakes on Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. He came under pressure from Lando Norris but held on after Mercedes won the strategy battle with McLaren.
Kimi Antonelli’s biggest problem may now be out of his control
Antonelli’s difficult Sprint was a reminder that he still isn’t the finished article. He crossed the line in fourth but was demoted to sixth for too many track limits breaches.
“I was really frustrated and didn’t even drive well,” he admitted to Sky. “I did a lot of mistakes and got track limits, which is something I need to avoid.”
More significantly, Antonelli has lost places at the start in all six races so far this year, including the two Sprints. Before Miami, Mercedes put the onus on the Italian to improve, but they took the blame for his poor launches last weekend.
While Mercedes’ advantage remains big enough for Antonelli to squander qualifying laps or race starts for the moment, rivals are closing in. His margin for error is getting smaller, even if his championship lead is growing.
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