Like Walking on Water: Wolff Hails Antonelli’s Monza Miracle

Toto Wolff believed Kimi Antonelli could produce a miracle at Monza even before Sunday’s race. The Mercedes driver delivered one, winning his home Italian Grand Prix after starting 19th at the back of the grid, with two cars lined up in the pit lane.

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He’s going to walk over water.

George Russell, Antonelli’s closest title rival and teammate, finished second after starting on the front row. Wolff said he had expected one of the Mercedes drivers to win, favoring Russell because he held pole at the restart after the red flag, or Antonelli because “he’s going to walk over water.”

The Mercedes boss said Antonelli’s passage through traffic made the difference. “When a driver and a car are one, then there’s just nothing that can stop them,” said Wolff, whose team previously took Lewis Hamilton to six of his seven titles.

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When a driver and a car are one, then there’s just nothing that can stop them.

The result carried particular weight because Antonelli had endured a difficult Monza appearance in 2024, when he crashed during Friday practice before his rookie season. Wolff recalled it as “the toughest moment in his career,” a time when everyone, including Antonelli, doubted him. Two years later, he said, that disappointment had become the biggest glory of the driver’s career.

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It was probably the toughest moment in his career by himself and his family, a moment where everyone doubted including himself.

Antonelli also became the first Italian to lead the championship into Monza since 1953 and the first Italian Formula One driver to win at the circuit, known as the Temple of Speed, since 1966. Wolff said Antonelli had improved more quickly than expected after a turbulent start, comparing his development to “an AI agent that continuously improves and learns.”

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For me, it’s like an AI agent that continuously improves and learns.