Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, could barely hide his admiration, mixed with some frustration, after Kimi Antonelli's second consecutive victory at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. This performance confirmed the 19-year-old's meteoric rise to the top of Formula 1. However, Wolff also pointed out a lingering weakness that could derail Mercedes if left unchecked. Antonelli's race in Suzuka was not straightforward, as, although he started from pole, his start was poor, dropping him to sixth position before the first corner.

The Mercedes boss admitted that the sight of his star pupil bogged down at the start triggered a sense of déjà vu. "I thought, 'Not again'," Wolff explained, "because obviously we are not giving them the easiest of tools, so our starts have generally been a bit mediocre and we need to improve that, but in that case, the driver had a huge influence on that car not going away".

Wolff did not hesitate to point out the technical error that nearly ruined the afternoon. "Yes, absolutely. A botched start; these kids learn in driving schools with automatics, so we need to teach them how to release the clutch: slowly and steadily, and not too fast," Wolff commented with a mix of pragmatism and wit. Wolff explained, "It looked good with the wheelspin, but it's not fast. But then, in the race, he made his way up, and at the moment when it mattered, he was really fast and we were able to extend his stint by that lap, and that made George's race go belly-up and made the difference".

Wolff also acknowledged that the performance gap between his two drivers this weekend was more about the machinery than the drivers. "The mistake that was made collectively in qualifying really put him at a disadvantage with the car, it transformed the car," Wolff said. "For pole position, between the two it was pretty close, and then, obviously, from Q1 it was no longer good enough and he had to fight with that today too. I think in equal cars it's going to be as close as ever".

While Antonelli took advantage of a Safety Car period triggered by Ollie Bearman's accident to regain the lead and disappear, his teammate George Russell's Sunday was much tougher. A setup change before qualifying left Russell struggling with an uncooperative W17, eventually finishing fourth. Wolff pointed out: "At the moment it was about going fast, we had to decide to protect the position against Leclerc, I believe, and Kimi was still setting perfect times, so that made the difference, but I guess [Russell] had a car that was not perfect".

Reflecting on Antonelli's meteoric rise, from a young junior kart racer signed in 2019 to a championship leader, Wolff couldn't help but marvel at the passage of time. "You see how fast it goes and how fast we age, because that seemed like years ago when he was a kid," Wolff smiled.

"When he came into the office, he met James Allison and James Allison thought he was a kid who had lost his parents and was looking for someone. It's incredible: yesterday he was 14, today he's 19, he's winning two races in a row in Formula 1, and we're very happy with the development he's had".

The Mercedes boss highlighted the importance of improving starts, a weakness that could affect the team's performance. Antonelli's ability to recover in the race demonstrates his talent, but consistency in all aspects is crucial for future success.

The Mercedes team, led by Wolff, focuses on improving the technical aspects of its cars, especially the starts, to ensure consistent and competitive performance. Adapting to new technologies and optimizing race strategies are key to success in Formula 1. The goal is to provide both drivers, Antonelli and Russell, with the tools they need to compete at the highest level and aim for the top positions in each race.