Toto Wolff sent Kimi Antonelli critical warning after his impressive F1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix, ‘stay away…’

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has stood out among the crop of rookies that have arrived in Formula 1 this season.

Mercedes have provided Kimi Antonelli with a car capable of challenging for podiums and pole positions, as his teammate George Russell has demonstrated.

Russell has cemented his reputation as F1’s most underrated driver with back-to-back podium finishes and a front-row start at the Chinese Grand Prix.

However, he’ll be well aware that Antonelli is going to put him under pressure sooner rather than later, given his performances in his first two race weekends.

Antonelli was eliminated in Q1 in Australia after a mistake on his flying lap damaged his floor, while his race in China was compromised after running over a piece of Charles Leclerc’s front wing on the opening lap.

Toto Wolff has tried to alleviate the pressure on Antonelli ahead of his first races with Mercedes, but the 18-year-old is keen to extract the maximum performance he can out of the W16 at each Grand Prix.

While the German has been very supportive of his new driver, he did send him a warning after his debut in Melbourne.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Toto Wolff warns Kimi Antonelli to ‘stay away’ from the while lines on track after his F1 debut

Antonelli’s first race weekend in Formula 1 with Mercedes was closely followed by Motorsport.

After starting the race in P16, he kept his car on the road in awful conditions and Mercedes nailed his strategy to help him achieve a fourth-place finish.

Mercedes staff have been impressed by Antonelli behind the scenes, and his recovery drive – and unbelievable overtake on Alex Albon – wouldn’t have come as a surprise to those within his garage.

The report from Motorsport states that Antonelli was quickly whisked away after the race in Melbourne to get ready for the first double header of his F1 career in Shanghai.

While sitting on the plane to China, Antonelli received a message from Wolff which read, ‘In the future, stay away from the white lines and the grass.’

Antonelli remarked in response, ‘He must have been more scared than me,’ after the teenager’s race nearly came to an end after overtaking Nico Hulkenberg.

A spin for Antonelli 😬

He rejoins after rotating the car in an identical way to his team mate in practice!#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/g8hZA7FjWH

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

He went off at the same part of the track that caught Russell out in practice in Melbourne, but managed to get his car stopped before hitting the barriers.

Antonelli quickly recovered to re-pass the Sauber driver before continuing to make his way up the standings.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Andrea Kimi Antonelli previews ‘scary’ Japanese Grand Prix circuit

Antonelli is one of the least experienced drivers on the grid, primarily due to his age, but has spent months preparing for his first Formula 1 season.

Mercedes prepared Antonelli with thousands of kilometres of running before his debut, but illness meant he missed out on a Super Formula 1 test at the end of last year.

Antonelli has admitted parts of the Suzuka circuit are ‘scary’, but he’s shown very little fear throughout his career thus far.

His previously mentioned move on Albon took guts in the rain, and Antonelli looked confident in pre-season testing in Bahrain from the first time he climbed into the car.

All the building blocks of a world-class driver are there for Antonelli, but Wolff needs to give him all the right guidance to make sure he fulfils his potential.