Wolff's praise for Antonelli after tough outcome in Austin

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has praised Kimi Antonelli’s performance after a solid recovery drive at the United States GP.

After a lap 6 tangle with Carlos Sainz dropped Antonelli to the back of the field, the Italian rookie fought back to finish P12.

Mercedes announced before the United States GP that George Russell and Antonelli would race for the team in 2026. While Antonelli received a one-year extension, GPblog can report that the Briton is on a multi-year deal.

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Keeping up momentum

Antonelli went into the United States GP after strong back-to-back performances in the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grand Prix, finishing P4 and P5 respectively.

However, Sainz’s move on Antonelli for P7 at the United States GP failed to come off, ruining both drivers’ races.

Carlos Sainz was handed a five-place gird penalty for the collision with Kimi Antonelli - Photo: RacePictures

Wolff said: “You can't always have great weekends in a row.

“Considering that he's so young, he's been very good recently. Today he was also a victim of the difficulty of overtaking.

“He's done a good recovery in my opinion going through the field at the beginning but then strategy-wise there's not a lot that was left on the table.

“I think performance-wise it's okay. Hopefully we can go back to the performances like in Singapore.”

The FIA stewards handed Sainz a five-place penalty for this weekend’s Mexico GP for his collision with Antonelli.

An up and down debut season for Antonelli 

Antonelli has struggled to score consistently in his debut season.

After an impressive start to his F1 career, with a debut P4 in Australia and a sprint race pole in Miami, Antonelli suffered a string of mechanical failures in the mid-part of the season. A podium in Canada was the exception in an otherwise disheartening run.

Kimi Antonelli in Austin - Photo: Race Pictures

Wolff’s critical comments after the Italian GP raised questions about Antonelli’s 2026 seat prospects, which the Italian silenced with strong P4 and P5 finishes in the next two races.

With a 2026 seat now confirmed for 2026, Antonelli will be hoping to bounce back from disappointment in Austin and end his first season in F1 on a high.

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