Toto Wolff: Kimi Wasn't Even Thinking About the Title Before the Start

Pulse Sports Team 23:35 - 25 October 2026

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff praised Andrea Kimi Antonelli for his mature approach to the United States Grand Prix, where the Italian had an outside chance of wrapping up the Formula 1 World Championship.

While the title celebration was put on hold, the youngster delivered a commanding victory at the Circuit of the Americas. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the chequered flag, Wolff revealed that Antonelli was not even thinking about the championship fight ahead of the race, choosing instead to simply enjoy the moment.

"What a guy! People asked me if he was nervous before the race, and I told them that right before starting his pre-race routine, he slipped into my office and said, 'Now I'm just going to enjoy this experience. It's funny that I'm not thinking about the championship at all, isn't it?' "So he is very much learning about his own emotional handling of these situations. He drove an exceptional race from start to finish. It was really impressive, even if his getaway on the medium tyres was a little sluggish," Wolff commented. "Our strategists did a tremendous job. We weighed up the possibility of Max undercutting us, but we held our nerve because the data showed the one-stop was the quicker route. "Norris was on the hards and his pace looked very strong. Nevertheless, we stuck to our guns and the race played out almost exactly as we had mapped out. "We trusted our information and refused to react just because rivals were doing something different. It's a bold call that always carries risk, but you have to trust your data," added the Mercedes boss on the Silver Arrows' winning strategy in Austin.