Toto Wolff says Oscar Piastri now has an ‘edge’ during F1 races that he wants Kimi Antonelli to develop

Follow us on Google Discover

There are very few Formula 1 drivers who are better role models on and off the track right now than McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.

After the first 10 Grand Prix in 2025, Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ championship from McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Piastri is the first driver since Sebastian Vettel in 2018 to win five Grand Prix in a single season, outside of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Davide Valsecchi thinks other F1 drivers dream of having Piastri’s skillset, such is the progress he’s made since his debut in 2023.

McLaren know nothing is guaranteed until the campaign ends, but Piastri is currently leading them towards their first championship double since 1998.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will be pleased with the progress his outfit have made this season, despite the obvious deficit to Piastri and McLaren right now.

The Canadian Grand Prix saw George Russell take his maiden win of the season, and he was joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the podium for the first time.

Antonelli has made brilliant progress since his debut in Australia, and Wolff has now shared the inspiration he now needs to take from the championship leader to reach the next level.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Toto Wolff notes Oscar Piastri’s tyre management ‘edge’ that Kimi Antonelli must learn from

Wolff was asked by the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit Podcast how many years he feels it will take for Antonelli to become a driver who regularly wins races and explained: “So, that has changed in the last few years because it is so difficult to manage the tyres.

“It’s not only about speed, how fast you can go on a single lap or in a race, but nurturing the tyres to drive as fast as you can, [and] at the same time, not sliding them and not making them overheat because you lose tons of lap time.

“That is the limitation for young drivers coming up. A good example is Piastri, who is leading the championship.

“It took him a year and a half, actually, to kind of catch up to Lando Norris, and it’s been the first year that he has an edge on him.

“That is, I think, just the tyre management, and with Kimi, he doesn’t know all of the circuits.

“He was the first time in Montreal, so you start with a massive disadvantage. But the car was good and he was able to be fast.”

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Kimi Antonelli on the same trajectory as Oscar Piastri during debut F1 season

Piastri has gone from strength to strength since his debut in 2023 and has put himself in a very good position to become Australia’s third Formula 1 champion.

However, he didn’t arrive on the grid at this level.

Nico Rosberg criticised Piastri’s driving style at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix, with his tyre management a major issue.

Although McLaren’s car has improved a lot since then, the 24-year-old has also made strides forward, with qualifying a key area Piastri has concentrated on recently.

Davide Valsecchi thinks Antonelli is on the same trajectory as Piastri at this stage of his career, which is an encouraging sign.

Fans were denied the chance to see how Antonelli would battle with Max Verstappen in Montreal when the Red Bull driver dove into the pits.

The fact that the 18-year-old was in a position to fight the four-time world champion highlights how far he’s come in such a short space of time, but there’s no room for complacency at the front of the grid in Formula 1.