That United States Grand Prix win? Absolutely stunning. Toto Wolff isn’t shy about it either, hailing Kimi Antonelli's dominant victory at Austin as the absolute best race the young Italian has delivered so far.
It wasn't an easy weekend from the start, mind you. The team actually struggled on Friday while trying to get their hands around an update package first seen in Malaysia that has proved mighty tricky to optimise. But by Qualifying, Antonelli and his engineers found the right window with the W17, taking pole position before putting on a masterclass.
Now it's extremely satisfying to see what he's able to deliver,
As Wolff put it on Sunday evening, the drive had all the marks of a champion. "Getting off the start with the inferior tyre, and then controlling it at all times," Wolff said. "The race of a champion – who isn't the champion yet – but exceptional." He even admitted that Antonelli's driving style simply glues with the machine, letting him outperform the car itself. When someone brought up his brilliant charge from the back to win at Monza last year, Wolff joked about his own memory before standing by the headline that Austin takes the crown.
What makes it wild is how ridiculously calm the kid remains despite the heavy pressure of the World Championship battle. Sure, the title isn't mathematically locked down yet—with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell still technically in contention—and Antonelli still needs to finish the race in Mexico before anyone is popping tequila or caipirinha. But right before getting dressed for the race, Antonelli casually dropped by Wolff's office, sat down on the sofa, and said he was just going to enjoy it without thinking about the championship at all.
Wolff admitted he still can’t quite comprehend the massive step Antonelli has made over the winter after a bruising rookie campaign last year that included nine races without points and difficult tears in Spa. But that turnaround is nine years in the making, backed by the Mercedes junior team around Gwen Lagrue who spotted him at age 11, alongside a massive investment in his career, character, and development alongside his parents. Now, working alongside Bono and the team, the results are finally flowing.
"Now it's extremely satisfying to see what he's able to deliver," Wolff said. We are all about to see if the party starts in Mexico next week.
