Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has praised the crucial role of race engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington in the rapid development and success of Kimi Antonelli, describing Bonnington as both a “good mentor” and a “strong boss.” Bonnington, whose experience includes working with Michael Schumacher and forging a championship-winning partnership with Lewis Hamilton, took over as Antonelli’s engineer following Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari.
Now in his sophomore Formula 1 season, Antonelli’s meteoric rise has seen him claim three consecutive victories and become the youngest-ever F1 championship leader—a progression Wolff attributes in part to Bonnington’s steady influence. “Bono has learned from the greats, from Schumacher to Hamilton for many years and then now to Kimi,” Wolff said. “He’s been a good mentor to him, but also a strong boss.”
Wolff recounted a key moment during Antonelli’s Miami win when Bonnington managed track limits warnings with authority: “There were a few times today when he had two strikes with the track limits – I said to Bono, ‘One more and I’m gonna go on the radio’, and he said, ‘No, no, you leave that to me’. That shows he just knows how to handle it. That’s good, he’s been part of the success.”
While Wolff was delighted with Antonelli’s best race to date, he stressed the ongoing importance of mentorship. “We needed to calibrate and continue to mentor him whilst having pressure on him. He’s able to analyse it, but then don’t overthink it. He compartmentalises it – ‘Okay, I made a mistake. I put it away.’”
Wolff concluded by emphasizing the need for consistent, long-term support for Antonelli: “All of us collectively that are close to him, we need to keep re-emphasising and repeating the message. This is a long game.”
With Bonnington’s guidance, Antonelli looks set to continue his impressive trajectory in Formula 1.
