Kimi Antonelli Reacts To Harsh Toto Wolff Criticism

Kimi Antonelli has responded to criticism from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff following a disappointing Italian Grand Prix.

The rookie has struggled for form since his breakthrough podium at the Canadian Grand Prix and arrived at his home race at Monza hoping to reset and put on a positive display.

While qualifying did bring about an improved performance, race day was deflating for the Italian and left Wolff to describe what he saw as "underwhelming".

Antonelli's weekend began in the worst possible way with a spin into the gravel, meaning he missed almost the entirety of second practice.

He recovered time in the final practice session before impressing in qualifying to almost match teammate George Russell. But a poor start left him down the field, with Antonelli unable to recover his positions and eventually finishing ninth, almost half a minute behind Russell.

"Always open with each other"

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, during Friday practice for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza. | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1

Asked for his take on Wolff's comments during the FIA's pre-Azerbaijan Grand Prix press conference, Antonelli replied: "I think I pretty much understand his comment.

"Me and Toto are always very open with each other, and we talk to each other quite openly. I think it was mainly about the race.

"Qualifying was actually pretty good, despite the off in FP2. But then in the race, especially on the Hard tyre, I struggled a little bit.

"Also, I made a mistake at the start. So I think it was mainly related to the race, which I agree wasn’t the best. But I took it positively – as fuel to do even better for this race weekend."

On what he needs to do to improve fortunes and impress the Mercedes hierarchy, Antonelli explained: "First of all, just trying to have clean sessions. In Monza, I went off in FP2 super early and ended up not doing long runs. I went completely blind into the race, didn’t get to feel the car on high fuel at all.

"It was a bit difficult because I had to learn in the moment, and on the Hard I just struggled to find my rhythm, so that was not ideal.

"But the speed in qualifying was much better in Monza, so hopefully we can carry this into this weekend as well. The main goal is just to have clean sessions and get as many laps as possible in the bag and then deliver the job in quali and in the race."

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