© Sebastian Kawka for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
After Kimi Antonelli dropped from P1 to P6 at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix due to poor clutch release, Toto Wolff quipped: “These kids learn in driving school with automatic!”
After winning the Japanese Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli became the youngest F1 driver in history to lead a world championship. After the race, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff reflected on Kimi’s start with the team.
“It seemed like years ago when he was a kid, he met [Mercedes Technical Director] James Allison who thought it was a kid who lost his parents and was looking for someone,” the Austrian said.
“It’s incredible. Yesterday, he was 14 and today he was 19. He’s won two races in a row in F1 and we are really happy about the development that he’s taken.
“We need to protect him now from people talking about World Championships.”
However, Toto also joked about the Italian’s poor start of the race, that saw him drop from P1 to P6.
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“A botched start, but these kids learn in driving school with automatic! We need to teach them how to release a clutch slowly, steadily and not too quick.
“We are not giving them the easiest of tools. Our starts have been on the mediocre side and we need to improve that.
“But in that case, the driver had a massive influence of the car not going away. It looked good with the wheelspin, but isn’t fast!
“But in the race, he made his way up and, at the moment it mattered, he was really fast and we were able to extend his stint by one lap.
“And that caused George’s race to get belly up and made the difference,” Wolff concluded.
