53-Year-Old Racing Executive Summarized the Italian GP for Mercedes
Toto Wolff left Monza frustrated with both the result and the performance level of Mercedes. He said the team was not competitive enough across the whole weekend, and that P5 and P8 are not results to be proud of. At the same time, he pointed to Max Verstappen’s display as the clear standard everyone must meet. In his words, one driver made the rest of the field look foolish on Sunday. That, he said, should force rivals to ask themselves what Verstappen is doing differently.
The Mercedes Principal's message was blunt: the outright pace was missing, and the team paid for it. He admitted Mercedes does not yet have a car that can deliver podiums every weekend. Even so, he stressed that execution still matters when the car is not perfect. Too many small errors turned a difficult weekend into an average one. He wants the team to use Monza as a wake-up call rather than an excuse. He also addressed the rookie’s side of the garage. Wolff said Andrea Kimi Antonelli made too many mistakes and needs to put all his best pieces together in one clean weekend. If he does that, Wolff believes Antonelli can at least run at the pace of George Russell and Charles Leclerc. The goal is not magic; it is consistency and confidence from first practice to the chequered flag. Wolff added that the team will support him, but the focus now is on clean execution.
Wolff reminded everyone that Antonelli’s Friday went wrong early, with a trip into the gravel that echoed his Dutch GP. Moments like that wreck rhythm and steal track time that a rookie badly needs. He urged Antonelli to reset and target a smooth, complete event in Baku. The circuit is more familiar to him, and Wolff wants to see the “killer instinct” come through once the basics are solid. If the weekend stays tidy, the speed will follow. George Russell’s race also drew scrutiny. Wolff said several things did not go to plan for the number-63 car. In the opening phase, Russell sat too close to Leclerc without a pass on, and that overheated and hurt his tires. From there, tire life and grip fell away, and the race became a damage-limitation run. Wolff’s point was simple: patience and positioning would have protected the stint and opened better options later.
Wolff closed by returning to the benchmark set at the front. He called Verstappen’s form “too strong” and said it raises the bar for every team and driver. Mercedes, he insisted, must improve car pace while cutting out errors that cost easy time. The team will review Monza in detail, then move on with a sharper plan for Azerbaijan. The target is clear: regain competitiveness, execute cleanly, and turn frustration into points.
