Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes sponsor backlash over Kimi Antonelli. Two partners walked away. The gamble has now delivered a Formula One title.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes lost two sponsors after promoting Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season, a decision that drew doubt before the rookie had turned a wheel in a Grand Prix. At the Mexico City Grand Prix, the 20-year-old answered that scepticism by becoming Formula One’s youngest drivers’ champion.
Antonelli also ended Italy’s 73-year wait for a champion and became only the third modern-era driver to win the title in his second campaign, following Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton. Wolff’s account of the sponsor reaction puts a sharper edge on the achievement: the driver signing tested not only the team’s judgement, but also its partners’ confidence in the brand.
Why Mercedes faced sponsor backlash over Antonelli’s signing
Wolff said his response to Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was immediate: he wanted Antonelli in the works car. The teenager had impressed through the junior categories, but a difficult Formula 2 campaign gave sceptics fresh ammunition, and some partners questioned the choice before the season began.
“Who is this kid?” was the doubt Wolff recalled hearing from sponsors. Two ended their affiliation with Mercedes, while others stayed and later shared in the rewards; the episode shows how sponsorship can hinge on visible results as much as long-term promise. For more on the young Italian’s early development, read this account of Antonelli’s karting and driving roots.
Wolff calls the Mercedes driver signing a calculated risk
Antonelli’s first season brought sharp swings in form. He showed the speed that earned him a seat alongside George Russell, then endured a nine-race European stretch without points, including a painful weekend in Spa that left him in tears.
Wolff said the team continued to trust the rookie through that slump. He described the promotion as a “calculated risk, not a real risk”, pointing to Mercedes’ underlying performance data as the basis for the call rather than a leap made on instinct alone. That distinction matters in motorsport marketing: partners had to weigh an uncertain debut against the evidence the team saw behind closed doors.
Antonelli’s title changes the sponsor reaction to Mercedes
The Mexico result transformed the argument around Mercedes’ decision. Antonelli beat Sebastian Vettel’s youngest-champion record by more than three years, while joining Villeneuve and Hamilton as a modern-era champion in only his second season.
Wolff recalled seeing Antonelli as an 11-year-old in junior karting and said Hamilton’s departure made the promotion feel like the right move. Some sponsors left before the verdict arrived; those who stayed now have a title-winning story tied to their partnership. Earlier, Wolff had signalled his belief that Antonelli would reach the top category with Mercedes or Williams; the full background is in this report on Wolff’s early forecast for Antonelli.
For a team selling performance and brand reputation, the turnaround is plain: the same driver signing that triggered sponsor backlash has become a championship asset. Antonelli’s title gives the remaining partners a return that no launch campaign could have guaranteed.
