Kimi Antonelli has been raised inside the Mercedes system since the age of eleven. Yet after his victory at Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix, the young Italian declined to rule out a move to Ferrari somewhere down the line. At this stage the leader of the 2026 world championship insists his title ambitions belong to his current team, but the hint alone was enough to draw a sharp counterpunch from Toto Wolff.
Pressed on the belated interest of a rival team, the Mercedes boss was blunt: Ferrari should have done this six or seven years ago, he argued, not now, having suddenly discovered that a good Italian driver exists. Wolff brought Antonelli into the Mercedes junior programme back in 2019, when the boy was twelve. He handed him his Formula One debut in 2025. Tellingly, it is that same Italian who now sits on top of the 2026 world championship.
