F1 | Wolff on Antonelli: "It's too early to consider him the title favorite."

If, on the football side, Italy is not giving satisfaction, the same cannot be said of Formula 1. It has been about twenty years since we saw an Italian triumph and thanks to Kimi Antonelli Now, we can hope to see a title return to Italy again. The Bologna-born driver, after victories in China and Japan, now leads the world championship standings with a nine-point advantage over his teammate. Mercedes Benz, George RussellThe British driver, however, does not seem to consider Antonelli as a rival for the title, in fact in media interviews he never acknowledges having his main rival for the title in his team, focusing only on Ferrari and McLaren.

The team principal of the Brackley team, Toto wolff, while declaring himself enthusiastic about Kimi's work, wanted to dampen the growing enthusiasm surrounding his driver. After just three races, the young Italian driver is already leading the championship with two wins under his belt, but according to the Mercedes team principal, it's still decidedly too early to talk about the title.

The Mercedes driver is impressing with his maturity and speed, inevitably attracting media attention. This, however, is precisely what worries Wolff, who urges people not to burden Antonelli with excessive expectations.

"Now they're always asking him about the championship, and they shouldn't. He's got two wins, 19 races left, and there's plenty of time to win and lose. He has to keep up the good work. We can talk about the championship in Abu Dhabi, and there's still a long way to go. Nothing's happened yet; we haven't even completed 20 percent of the season."

The risk of internal rivalry

Inside Mercedes, however, the situation could soon get complicated. Antonelli isn't alone: ​​on the other side of the garage is George Russell, an experienced and competitive driver, who certainly has no intention of sitting back. The risk of internal rivalry is real and, for many, it brings to mind the heated battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. This situation, while it could push the team to give it its all, risks creating tensions that are difficult to manage in the long run.

Balances can change immediately

Wolff maintains the same cautious stance when discussing the team's prospects. Despite the excellent start, he isn't predicting any dominance, not even looking ahead to 2026. After this long hiatus, Formula 1 is heading to Miami, where it could already represent a significant turning point, especially given the technical upgrades that many teams will be bringing to the track. In Formula 1, as is well known, a competitive development package is enough to completely overturn the hierarchy.

Wolff himself underlined how the first signs had already been seen in Japan: if in the first two races Mercedes seemed to have a clear advantage, in Suzuka the situation appeared more balanced.

“We look like heroes now,” Wolff admitted, “but there's no guarantee we'll be the same in three races. Miami will be a fresh start. How will the updates the teams are bringing work? How have we optimized all the other systems? It'll be exciting. Teams and drivers are starting to learn how to optimize these systems to their advantage, and we saw the first signs of that in Japan. During the first two races, we were still dominant, but that wasn't the case in Suzuka. We've always recognized that.”

It's a championship where it doesn't take much to go from dominator to pursuer, and that's precisely why Mercedes prefers not to let their guard down.

Ferrari prepares the response

Behind Mercedes, meanwhile, Ferrari is watching and working. The Maranello team is currently the main contender and is aiming to use the April break to close the gap. Engineers are working on several fronts, starting with energy management, a key aspect of modern power unit performance. But that's not all: updates to the floor, sidepods, and wings are also planned. Among the most anticipated innovations is the now famous "Macarena wing," a feature that should improve overall aerodynamic efficiency and help the car be more competitive in upcoming races.