Toto Wolff tips Mercedes junior to be a 'really great one in this sport'

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff mentioned that their junior driver Kimi Antonelli can become a really good F1 driver.

The Austrian took Antonelli under his wing in 2012 when he was just six years old and has been tracking the progress of the driver in the junior categories. Earlier this year it was announced that Antonelli will race in the F2 series next year with Prema Racing.

As per Motorsport.com, the Mercedes team principal was confident of the Italian's talent but stated that he did not expect a "killing" first season in F2 for Antonelli. He said:

“We got Kimi under the wings in 2012 and he was a great kid already then. You could see the character, he was strong. We had him in the garage and there was a lot of confidence. And then in go-karting his track record was immense, and then you put him in the junior formulas and he wins every single season in his rookie year.

"But we’ve got to be careful because there’s a lot of hype around Kimi. Putting him into F2 is a big step because those cars are heavier and much more powerful. But if we give him time – and don’t expect him to be killing it in his first season – I think he can be a really great one in this sport.”

Mercedes team boss looks back on the Las Vegas GP weekend

Wolff pointed out that the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend was one of missed opportunities for the German team as they missed out on a podium after George Russell's clash with Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes team boss analyzed the race and said (via F1.com):

“Would have, should have, could have. We looked at the pace in free air and we had the pace of the leaders. When Lewis had no traffic that was pretty much where [Charles] Leclerc was racing in terms of lap times."

"It summarizes the season. You make your own luck but we had more bad luck today. Seventh, eighth – the two cars could have been on the podium, but they weren’t."

With just a four-point lead over Ferrari in the battle for P2 in the constructors' championship heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Mercedes will hope for a better weekend under the lights in the Middle East.

It will be fascinating to see if they can hold on to their advantage over the Italian team or if they fail to finish in the top two for the second year running.