Kimi Antonelli has credited Mercedes boss Toto Wolff with offering him support and advice during “difficult moments”, with the youngster recalling how Wolff helped him to bounce back from a tough time earlier in his debut Formula 2 campaign.
Antonelli made the step up to F2 this year – having bypassed F3 during what has been a rapid ascent through the motorsport ranks – but the 17-year-old’s first season in the category has not been entirely smooth sailing after the PREMA team faced a challenging start to the campaign.
Their fortunes have improved in the time since, however, and Antonelli has gone on to claim two race victories at Silverstone and Budapest, putting him in seventh place of the drivers’ standings with four rounds remaining.
While the season has had its ups and downs, Antonelli acknowledged that he did not expect instant success in Formula 2.
“No, because I never expected to go straight into F2,” the Italian explained in an interview with Motorsport.com. “When they informed me that this was the plan, I thought it would be a big jump, because you usually go to F3 first, but at the same time the challenge was immediately appealing to me.
Antonelli currently sits in seventh place of the drivers’ standings in his debut Formula 2 campaign with PREMA
“I didn’t plan on coming to F2 and winning everything, I was always aware that the jump from Formula Regional would be very challenging and I was aware that I had a lot to learn, which I am still doing.”
Throughout it all, Antonelli has been supported by Wolff, who offered some guidance to the teenager following a tough qualifying session at Silverstone – a weekend in which he went on to take his debut victory in the series.
“I am also very happy with the relationship I have [with Wolff],” said Antonelli. “In difficult moments I ask him for advice and he always looks for a way to give me confidence.
“I’ll give you an example. After the disappointing qualifying in Silverstone I called him because it was a bit of a tough time. We talked a lot and that conversation gave me back my confidence, and the next day I won and it was really nice to see him under the podium.
“When you go through difficult times, I think you come out stronger in the end, also in terms of attitude. Silverstone and Budapest confirmed it.”
