Wolff reveals two sponsors quit Mercedes over Antonelli signing

Toto Wolff says two sponsors ended their relationship with Mercedes after the team chose Kimi Antonelli for a race seat ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Wolff said the departures followed doubts about who the young driver was, while other partners stayed and have since shared in his success.

Speaking after Antonelli’s title-winning achievement at the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Mercedes team principal reflected on the decision to promote him when Lewis Hamilton told the team he would leave for Ferrari. Wolff said his response was immediate: Antonelli should take the seat.

The move has since brought a remarkable return for the team and its partners. Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest champion, beating Sebastian Vettel’s record by more than three years, and the first Italian to win the title in 73 years. He is also only the third driver in the sport’s modern era to claim the championship in his second season, following Jacques Villeneuve and Hamilton.

The achievement adds context to the records behind Antonelli’s title, after a promotion that Wolff said was not universally welcomed at the time.

Wolff says early doubts did not alter Mercedes’ decision

Antonelli’s route to the championship included a difficult first season. Wolff recalled that the driver had shown promise in the junior categories, but a challenging Formula 2 campaign caused some people to question whether he was ready for Formula 1. Even after joining Mercedes, Antonelli endured a poor stretch in Europe, going nine races without scoring and experiencing a particularly emotional weekend at Spa.

Wolff said some critics argued Antonelli should not be in Formula 1 or should have started at a smaller team. He praised the Mercedes team for continuing to trust him through those difficult results, before he delivered the title.

Mercedes viewed the promotion as a calculated risk

Wolff described the choice as instinctive, saying he contacted deputy team principal Bradley Lord after Hamilton revealed his Ferrari move and told him Antonelli would be in the car the following year. Mercedes had studied the driver’s data, he said, and believed the decision made sense.

Rather than treating the promotion as a gamble without safeguards, Wolff characterised it as a calculated risk. His account of the decision follows earlier remarks about the pressure of managing Antonelli’s progress, including Wolff’s comments on the challenges of Antonelli’s pace. The two sponsors who left did not share the team’s confidence at the time; others remained and, Wolff said, have now received the reward.