Toto Wolff Predicted Kimi Antonelli Would Be A World Champion Five Years Ago

An insider has revealed that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been backing Kimi Antonelli as a future world champion for several years.
Italian entrepreneur Brunello Cucinelli spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport and disclosed a conversation he had with Wolff about the young driver.
Cucinelli first described his relationship with Wolff, explaining: “I have a wonderful relationship with Toto Wolff: he loves pasta, but it’s bad for him, so I send him pasta made with more refined grains.”
The entrepreneur then revealed just how far back Wolff’s belief in Antonelli stretches, quoting the Mercedes boss directly from their conversations.
Cucinelli said: “Already five or six years ago, he was telling me: ‘I have a little gem in my hands, he’ll become a great champion.'”
He also offered a glimpse into Wolff’s personality, adding: “He [Wolff] has another great quality: he’s always joking and laughing. As long as they don’t make him angry.”
Antonelli arrived in Formula 1 having bypassed Formula 3 entirely, finishing the 2024 Formula 2 championship in sixth place before being ushered onto the grid.
His early 2025 campaign raised questions about whether the Italian had been promoted too soon, though his performances improved significantly toward the end of that year.
Antonelli now sits 43 points ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the drivers’ standings, having claimed four consecutive victories across the last four rounds.
Russell has acknowledged the scale of the challenge he faces, stating that it is “his championship to lose” as Antonelli continues to build on his impressive recent form.
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