Wolff sees Hamilton's win inspiring Antonelli: 'Was watching that scene'

F1 News

Wolff sees Hamilton win inspire Antonelli win sprint race Silverstone
8 July at 13:41

Not only Lewis Hamilton earned a long-awaited victory, but also Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 2. As the Prema team are struggling in the competition a step below F1, it was not an easy one to happen, but Antonelli did outperform his opponents in the rainy sprint race on Saturday. Mercedes team principal was happy also with the young Italian at Silverstone.

"Yes, [it was] so important [for Antonelli to get his first win]. F2 is so difficult this year because the car, you know, you can see that, him and Bearman are struggling a lot with the car and he isn't happy with his driving," Wolff analysed the Mercedes junior driver's first P1 in Formula 2. During the Sprint Race, Antonelli was confident in the rain and won in 'difficult conditions', the young Italian also answered GPblog's question at Silverstone.

"Seeing him on Saturday walking over the water, I mean, the times, two seconds quicker than everybody else. You can see the talent and the ability and the potential this young man has. And winning that race, he took a lot of weight off his shoulders," Wolff continued to praise Antonelli.

Wolff saw Hamilton inspire Antonelli

As Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at the same time, Toto Wolff turned lyrical at Silverstone. The Austrian CEO and team principal believes . "It's in a way, I don't know, at this moment where you see, the greatest British driver checking out with us, at the British Grand Prix, in the garage, you have this young Italian that hasn't got a driving licence even, that was watching that scene. And at the end he thought, 'I want to be that one day'. Maybe not here [at Silverstone], maybe [at] Monza."