How Toto Wolff Was Given "One of the Best Moments Ever" in China

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the podium for the Chinese Grand Prix as "one of the best moments I've ever had."

Kimi Antonelli led home a second consecutive Mercedes 1-2 finish of the fledgling 2026 Formula 1 season for his maiden win in the championship and to move within four points of teammate George Russell in the drivers' standings.

The Italian fought off an early attack from Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton before stretching his advantage as the seven-time world champion engaged in battle with Scuderia teammate Charles Leclerc and Russell.

Mercedes drivers old and new

Old friends reunited 🤝#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/483UMXoi0O
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026

With Russell getting second and Hamilton earning his first podium in a grand prix as a Ferrari driver, Wolff watched his most successful recruit alongside his current number one and teenage prodigy standing side-by-side in celebration, with Antonelli's current and Hamilton's former race engineer, Pete Bonnington.

"That podium now was probably one of the best moments I've ever had," Wolff told Sky Sports UK in the immediate aftermath.

"The three of them, with Bono right in the middle, where he's been with Lewis forever, and then basically taking over Kimi and making Kimi what he is today. I mean, to be honest, rarely that I'm overwhelmed, but that is such a moment."

Antonelli's victory comes after a rookie season that saw many question whether he was ready for the jump up to F1 and the Silver Arrows as an 18-year-old, with criticism only growing more vocal as he hit a tricky mid-season patch strewn with errors.

George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — Mercedes-Benz Media

And while the start to 2026 has been far from smooth sailing for Antonelli - a crash in FP3 in Australia almost taking him out of qualifying completely at Albert Park - he is at least showing exactly why Wolff put his faith in the youngster, becoming the first Italian driver to win since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006, the youngest polesitter in F1 history and only the second teenager to win in the sport after Max Verstappen.

Asked whether he believed Antonelli would have shown race-winning form this early in his career, Wolff replied: "I think it's maybe come earlier than I thought, because we said that it's going to be a difficult year with many ups and downs and mistakes.

"Yeah, and then, bang, you know, second race, and he's controlled it in the front. He's driven very well today, so he's probably a little bit better than the trajectory that I thought."