Mercedes boss Toto Wolff brought some humor to the post-race atmosphere at the Singapore Grand Prix, joking about a cheeky solution for Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the young Italian’s repeated struggles with track limits.
Antonelli, just 20 years old and on the brink of his maiden F1 world title, finished third in Singapore despite breaching track limits four times. While three violations typically result in a time penalty, the stewards forgave his fourth offence, citing brake issues with his Mercedes W17 and ruling that he gained no advantage by running wide at Turn 7.
After the chequered flag, Wolff got on the team radio and playfully congratulated Antonelli:
“Kimi, well driven. Well done. Maybe we need to have a little cushion under your a**e to have you sit higher with the track limits, but it was very good!”
Wolff expanded on his joke with reporters:
“I have a good strategy, I’m going to put a pillow from the hotel under his butt so he can actually see the road, because I think he can’t see the track! Half the race we already have three strikes, but it also shows he’s pushing the limits a lot.”
Despite the light-hearted ribbing, Wolff praised Antonelli’s composure and maturity:
“He handled a tough car, stayed calm as we discussed, and managed to finish the race. He’s learning and developing—a very mature drive.”
Antonelli now stands on the verge of becoming F1’s youngest-ever world champion as the championship heads to Austin’s United States Grand Prix on October 23–25. Wolff, keeping strategy at the forefront, said:
“The aim must be to keep scoring points—if he keeps his cool, the championship will come to him.”
With six races left in the season, all eyes are on Antonelli to see if he can clinch the historic title. **
