Comparisons being made between Kimi Antonelli and Ayrton Senna will not help the teenager in his quest to become a Formula One champion, says Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.

The Italian is top of the Drivers' Championship by nine points after putting together back-to-back race victories at the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix back in March. 

Aged 19 years and 216 days at the time of his race triumph in Suzuka, Antonelli became the first driver under the age of 20 to lead the drivers' standings in F1 history. 

Following a fine start to his second season in the competition, the Mercedes driver has been tipped to challenge team-mate championship favourite George Russell for the title. 

Antonelli has also been likened to three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, though Wolff warned of setting expectations too high for the talented teenager this early in his career.

"When it comes to Kimi, we've always been very clear in our objectives," Wolff said. "We had our first learning year with great performances, highlights and then other moments where it was going to be very difficult.

"And we have seen exactly that, and now we're in the second year, and he continues to develop in a way that we had hoped to see and forecasted.

"But at the same time, not by increasing expectations to irrational levels.

"And, of course, in Italy, everybody wants to talk about the world championship and comparisons to Senna come up, which is something which I don't enjoy reading because he's a 19-year-old who has been most visible in Italy. And it's more about decreasing the expectations and pressure rather than increasing them. But he copes very well.

"He has a great personal environment and I think in the team, there are times when we put our arms around him, other times we put more pressure. But overall, everything is coming together as expected."

Antonelli also enjoyed a strong start to his maiden campaign in F1, taking fourth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix before consecutive sixth-placed finishes.

However, a slump between the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix saw him manage just one top-10 finish, along with four retirements in that six-race span. 

That stretch threw his future with Mercedes into doubt, with Wolff coming out and calling his performances "underwhelming" after coming into the team to replace Lewis Hamilton. 

Antonelli went on to claim two podiums, in Sao Paulo and Las Vegas, to finish seventh in the Drivers' Championship on 150 points. 

Wolff said Mercedes will continue to strike a balance between supporting Antonelli during difficult moments and ensuring he learns the necessary lessons from setbacks.

"We just need to continue to be authentic in our relationship with him," Wolff added. "When it's good, it's good, and we say that.

"And when it's bad, it's bad and say that. How can you improve?

"And he doesn't need to justify any more to us that he hasn't got the speed or hasn't got the ability or hasn't got the right character. Now it's just a matter of more experience.

"And it's something that comes over time. And then sometimes it's putting the arm around it. Sometimes it's saying you need to improve in that area.

"So I think we should just continue what we've done and hope that's going to yield great performances and outcomes."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes

Antonelli is one of only 36 drivers to achieve two or more hat-tricks of pole position, fastest lap and race win, in the history of F1.

Having secured pole in each of his last two races, if he is able to repeat the trick in Miami, he would become the first Italian to achieve three consecutive pole positions since Riccardo Patrese between Canada and France in 1991 (also three).

But he might not want to start in the top two in Miami, given the winner has failed to take the chequered flag in first place when starting on the front row. 

However, he has the car that could end that run. Mercedes have 135 points after three races in 2026, marking its best start to a season, surpassing the 130 points from 2019.

So far, the Silver Arrows are averaging 45 points per grand prix, also their best average in a year in F1 (37 in 2015).

Oscar Piastri - McLaren

In what has been an underwhelming start to the season for both McLaren and Oscar Piastri, the Australian might be confident of getting their campaign back on track in Miami. 

Piastri won the last edition of the Miami Grand Prix in 2025. It could be the first race in which he has repeated a victory in his F1.

However, he has not won since the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, marking his longest winless streak (10 races) since claiming his maiden triumph in Hungary in 2024.

McLaren secured victory in the last two editions of the Miami Grand Prix, with Lando Norris in 2024 and Piastri a year later.

Should they win again in 2026, it will be the first time the British team has won three consecutive editions of the same race since Canada between 2010 and 2012.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 72

2. George Russell (Mercedes) – 63

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 49

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 41

5. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 25

Constructors'

1. Mercedes – 135

2. Ferrari – 90

3. McLaren – 46

4. Haas – 18

5. Alpine – 16