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After Kimi Antonelli’s first Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, his father Marco said he “can say only thank you” to Toto Wolff and Mercedes.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli cinched his first Formula 1 victory. Afterwards, his father Marco praised Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff for his influence in Kimi’s career.
“Yes, of course, Toto did everything,” he told Sky Sports F1.
To this Wolff responded:
“No, no, I think we did it together. Kimi, as a driver and as a personality, is because of the family. His mother, Veronica, and Marco, it’s such a solid base of a family.
“The karting, the many hours in the car, going to every track… Congratulations,” he concluded.
Antonelli Sr. then added:
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“We tried to do the best for our son, but Mercedes did a big job. I can say only thank you.
“You know, we had a moment, we talked about it. We were in Monza, Milano, two years ago. And I said: ‘Do you think Kimi is ready for the seat when he was in F2?’
“And [Toto] said, ‘I think he is’, and I said, ‘Well then, let’s do it’. But at the end, the best is Toto.”
Despite Kimi’s big milestone win, Antonelli Sr. remains realistic when it comes to his sons championship chances.
“I don’t know, honestly, because Kimi is younger and I think that he’s not perfect in this moment. He’s a good driver, of course, but the experience is very important.
“And I think that George [Russell] is a very super driver with a lot of experience, and it’s difficult to beat him,” the Italian concluded.
