Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes it "wasn't an easy road" for Kimi Antonelli, but said it was "extremely satisfying" to watch the Italian prove his doubters wrong.

Antonelli is on the cusp of making Formula One history at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, where he could become the sport's youngest world champion.

Sebastian Vettel holds the previous record from 2010, when he won the title with Red Bull at the age of 23 years, four months and 11 days. Should Antonelli emerge victorious, he would shatter his record by over three years (20 years, two months and seven days). 

But it has not all been smooth sailing for Antonelli, who struggled in his first year in the sport, with many questioning whether he was good enough to partner George Russell.

Antonelli finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship, 273 points behind 2025 champion Lando Norris, while also only managing to finish on the podium three times.

Wolff even criticised Antonelli, describing his performance as "underwhelming" at the Italian Grand Prix, having come home in ninth. His comments came after he had only scored in three of his previous 10 races, with four of those being retirements. 

The Mercedes boss also recalled the Belgian Grand Prix as a low moment for Antonelli, with his driver reduced to tears after being eliminated in the first qualifying session. 

"Many people said last year after nine races without points, he shouldn't be in a Mercedes," said Wolff.

"People in other teams said he shouldn't even be in Formula 1, the tears in Spa, in parc ferme. And all of that now is extremely satisfying to see what he's able to deliver, how he's working with the team, with Bono [Antonelli's engineer Peter Bonnington] and yielding the results. But it wasn't an easy road.

"So, I'm happy that, 99.9 per cent, he still needs to finish the race in Mexico. So, it's either going to be a big tequila party or if it's not a tequila party, then it's going to be Caipirinha the weekend afterwards."

Fixing our sights on the fabulous Foro Sol https://t.co/Dhgzu2RFfR

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 26, 2026

Since the start of this season, Mercedes, and Antonelli in particular, have been dominant. He has claimed nine race wins this season along with 15 podium finishes. 

George Russell was tipped to follow in Norris' footsteps in 2026, but it has been Antonelli, who joined Mercedes to replace seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who has shone.

Wolff thinks the new 2026 cars, which provided a reset for the field, have benefited Antonelli, and he remains astounded as to how the Italian has hit back so strongly this year. 

"I think maybe it was to his benefit that the regulations were all new," Wolff added.

"When last year he came in and those cars existed, those cars existed for four years. The other drivers were used to it. 

"And all new for everyone this year. And he just made it stick with his easiness, with his mindset, with his easiness of approaching things.

"In Austin, he came to my office before getting ready, before getting dressed and just sat down on the sofa and said, 'I'm going to enjoy this one. And isn't it funny? I'm not thinking at all about the championship'.

"I said, 'well, exactly stick to that attitude. You have the best job in the world. Don't forget that.' So he also has the right mindset.

"It's been 30 or more years that I've tried to understand racing drivers' brains and I still don't know what has happened over the winter.

"His ability to process and deliver something that's outstanding, which we didn't see coming. But credit to him, credit to his engineers, to his environment, his family that he's delivered in that way."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

Of course, all eyes will be on Antonelli this weekend as he aims to join the greats of F1, with a top-nine finish this Sunday enough to write his name in the history books. 

Antonelli has the opportunity to become the fifth driver to record 10 or more wins in a single season in F1, joining the likes of Hamilton (six times), Max Verstappen (three), Michael Schumacher and Vettel (two each). 

During his career, 15 of his 18 podium finishes have come in 2026. Among drivers who have never won the Drivers' Championship, only Oscar Piastri (16 in 2025) and Valtteri Bottas (15 in 2019) have recorded as many in a single season, though Antonelli looks set to end that wait here. 

And he will certainly have confidence in Mercedes to deliver him a car to succeed. 

The Silver Arrows have had at least one of their two drivers finish on the podium in each of the first 18 races of 2026. Only Mercedes themselves in 2014 (19) and Ferrari in 2018 (18) have achieved the feat in as many or more races at the start of a season in F1 history.

One more tick to come for our 20-year-old history maker? #F1 https://t.co/fxlMCqPe8A

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 29, 2026

Max Verstappen – Red Bull 

Since the summer break, only Mercedes (nine podium finishes and 228 points) have recorded more podiums and scored more points than Red Bull, who have secured seven podium finishes and 175 points across the last seven races. 

Verstappen has been key to that upturn in form, and this is a circuit he often thrives at.

The Dutchman and Hamilton are the two drivers with the most podium finishes (six each) and points scored (170 for the Red Bull driver and 153 for the Ferrari driver) at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

However, no driver has claimed more victories than the Dutchman (five), more than twice as many as the next drivers on the list (two each for Jim Clark, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Hamilton), and he would love to add a third race win of the season to his list. 

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 365

2. George Russell (Mercedes) – 242

3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 241

4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 236

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 233

Constructors'

1. Mercedes – 607

2. Ferrari – 474

3. Red Bull – 355

4. McLaren – 355

5. Racing Bulls – 102