Toto Wolff says it's too early to put champion Kimi Antonelli in Ayrton Senna's class, but he won't rule out the Italian growing into it.
Toto Wolff is pumping the brakes on the hype. The Mercedes boss says it is far too soon to stack his new world champion, Kimi Antonelli, next to Formula One icon Ayrton Senna, even though the Italian grew up worshipping the Brazilian legend.
Wolff's verdict was blunt: for now, Antonelli is a "Senninha," a little Senna, rather than the real thing. Senna won three world titles and remains one of the most revered figures the sport has ever produced, so the bar is about as high as it gets. Still, Wolff left the door open for Antonelli to grow into that kind of company over time.
The young Italian clinched his maiden drivers' crown at the Mexican Grand Prix. He then added a fifth-place finish at the São Paulo Grand Prix, a result that helped Mercedes lock up their ninth constructors' championship.
That result also gave the Silver Arrows their first drivers' and constructors' double since 2020, a reminder of how dominant the team can be when everything clicks. Antonelli has the title, the team has the trophy haul, and the Senna comparisons will keep coming. Wolff's message is that greatness takes more than one championship season.
