For Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, the most significant moment of the day did not take place during this triumphant race for his team, but on the podium after the finish.
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After his first F1 victory at the Shanghai circuit, Kimi Antonelli found himself alongside Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer Peter Bonnington, better known by the nickname “Bono.”
He accompanied Hamilton for a long time during his successful years at Mercedes and is now working with the young Italian prodigy.
Two generations reunited
For Wolff, this image almost symbolized a passing of the torch between two generations: “This podium was probably one of the most beautiful moments I have ever experienced,” the Austrian manager told Sky Sports F1. The three together, with Bono in the middle, who has been with Lewis for so long and is now looking after Kimi to make him the driver he is today. Honestly, it is rare for me to be overwhelmed by emotion, but this was truly a special moment.”
Antonelli’s success came in only the second race of the season, after an impressive weekend during which the 19-year-old driver converted his pole position into a victory.
After an intense start to the race against his teammate George Russell as well as the Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Antonelli then perfectly controlled the event to win. He thus became the second youngest Grand Prix winner in the history of Formula 1.
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Early success for a future great
For Wolff, who has been following his progress within the Mercedes junior program since 2019, this success came sooner than he imagined: “I think it’s happening perhaps earlier than expected, because we thought it would be a difficult season with ups and downs and mistakes. And then, boom, from the second race he’s controlling the race from the front. He drove very well today, so he’s probably a bit ahead of the trajectory I imagined.”
Antonelli’s decisive weekend had begun with an impressive pole position in qualifying, a result that could have put enormous pressure on a rookie.
But Wolff explains that the young driver showed remarkable calm: “He was actually quite calm and relaxed before the race. But on the grid, you see the eyes… I think one of the characteristics of champions is the eyes.”
For Mercedes, the image of Antonelli celebrating with Hamilton and Bonnington goes beyond a simple victory: it represents the transition between the Hamilton era and the new generation. And for Wolff, despite being used to success from the pit wall, this moment will remain one of the most significant of his career in Formula 1.
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