Toto Wolff missed out on signing Max Verstappen to Red Bull back in 2014.
Toto Wolff has been told Kimi Antonelli is his “cure” for failing to sign Max Verstappen as a teenager back in 2014.
Italian protégé Antonelli was promoted to a race seat for 2025 at Mercedes, replacing Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton and has impressed thus far with 48 points from six races.
Antonelli also bagged Sprint pole in Miami, and took Verstappen’s all-time records for youngest driver to lead a lap and youngest to set a fastest lap, both at the Japanese GP, just his third race at the time.
As Mercedes show an upturn in form, former IndyCar racer Hinchcliffe believes Antonelli has been a shining light for Mercedes, and helped soothe the regrets Wolff had about missing out on Verstappen as a 16-year-old in 2014 to Red Bull.
“I had the benefit of coming into the series with a smaller team and lower expectations,” Hinchcliffe wrote on F1’s official website.
“For Antonelli, that is certainly not the case. He was being touted as the next Verstappen and was replacing Hamilton. Expectations couldn’t have been higher. Lesser drivers would have crumbled.
“But Antonelli has taken it all in stride, not letting either the good days or bad affect him and his approach in a meaningful way, while maintaining his youthful exuberance and eagerness to improve.
‘He is clearly a hard worker too, and is not letting the thought of being Toto Wolff’s cure to missing out on signing Max Verstappen all those years ago distract him from doing what he does best.”
Pinpointing one area he felt Antonelli could improve, Hinchcliffe pointed to his qualifying deficit to Russell, which across the six grand prix sessions and two Sprints combined stands at 0.291s on average, with Russell leading 6-2 after Antonelli out-qualified him for the first time in the two Miami sessions.
“This is a short list for a driver with a half dozen races under his belt,’ he added.
“The qualifying deficit to Russell needs to continue to come down, and he is showing every sign that that trend will continue.”
