Toto Wolff praised the essential influence of Pete Bonnington in the meteoric rise of Kimi Antonelli, now considered a genuine contender for the world title this season.
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After a turbulent first season, Kimi Antonelli has stepped up in 2026.
The young Mercedes driver is on a streak of three consecutive wins and has taken the lead in the championship thanks to a series of particularly strong performances.
At only 19 years old, Antonelli is already breaking records for precocity, to the point that media attention around him is becoming increasingly significant.
Toto Wolff wants to protect his young driver
Faced with this rise, Toto Wolff knows he must prevent pressure from affecting his driver.
The Mercedes boss believes, however, that Antonelli is perfectly supported, notably thanks to his race engineer Pete Bonnington, better known in the paddock by the nickname “Bono.”
The British engineer has immense experience in Formula 1 after working with two seven-time world champions: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
“Bono has learned a lot from the greatest, from Schumacher to Hamilton over many years” explains Wolff.
“A mentor… but also a boss”
According to Wolff, Bonnington plays a much broader role than just a race engineer for Antonelli.
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“With Kimi, he has been an excellent mentor, but also a very strong boss.”
The Mercedes director even shared a revealing anecdote during the Miami Grand Prix.
Antonelli had already received two warnings for track limits when Wolff considered intervening himself on the radio.
“I told him: ‘One more mistake and I’m going to talk to him on the radio.’ And Bono replied: ‘No, no, let me handle this.’”
A key connection in current success
For Wolff, this trusting relationship partly explains the impressive performances of the young Italian: “It simply shows he knows how to connect with him, how to manage him. And that is part of the success.”
The Austrian boss also believes that Miami was probably Antonelli’s best weekend so far.
“For me, it was his best race to date. It reminded me of his karting or Formula 4 years. He made no mistakes.”
Wolff even concluded with a touch of humor: “It’s easier to calm someone down than to speed up a donkey.”
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