Antonelli 'underwhelming' At Monza, Says Wolff

Kimi Antonelli was "underwhelming" astatine nan Italian Grand Prix, says Mercedes squad leader Toto Wolff.

The Italian rookie, 19, vanished ninth successful nan title aft receiving a black-and-white emblem for persistent way limits offences and a five-second punishment and punishment constituent connected his licence for moving Williams driver Alex Albon disconnected nan track.

That came aft an disconnected costs him astir of nan 2nd believe session, though he recovered to suffice conscionable down squad leader George Russell.

Antonelli is eighth successful nan drivers' championship, 4 points down Albon and 128 adrift of Russell, who is 4th successful nan standings.

Wolff said: "Underwhelming this weekend. Underwhelming. You can't put nan car successful nan gravel furniture and expect to beryllium there. All of nan title was underwhelming.

"It doesn't alteration thing connected my support and assurance successful his early because I judge he's going to beryllium very, very, very good. But coming was… underwhelming."

Wolff has been patient successful his support of Antonelli, who he fast-tracked into Formula 1 this twelvemonth astatine nan property of 18 arsenic a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, pursuing nan seven-time champion's move to Ferrari.

Last play astatine nan Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff efficaciously confirmed that some Russell and Antonelli would enactment astatine nan squad adjacent season.

But Antonelli has had an up-and-down first play successful F1.

He took rod for nan sprint title successful Miami successful May, pursuing that up by beating Russell successful qualifying for nan expansive prix arsenic well.

Antonelli scored a maiden podium successful Canada successful June, but mislaid assurance pursuing a alteration successful nan Mercedes rear suspension design.

He said he felt amended successful nan car erstwhile Mercedes reverted to their erstwhile suspension for nan Hungarian Grand Prix 2 events ago, but has still struggled for consistency.

Antonelli made an correction successful crashing retired pinch Charles Leclerc's Ferrari successful Zandvoort, and followed that pinch different messy title astatine Monza, wherever successful summation to his different incidents, he besides spent six laps passing nan Alpine of Pierre Gasly aft his pit stop.

Wolff said Antonelli needed "a cleanable weekend", adding that meant "almost not to transportation excessively overmuch trauma of erstwhile mistakes into nan adjacent convention aliases into nan adjacent play because that is baggage.

"You're not going to onslaught nan area difficult if you've been disconnected location earlier and it vanished your session, aliases possibly you're not attacking a driver that should not beryllium successful your measurement for illustration Gasly because he had this business pinch Leclerc.

"Kimi shouldn't suffer moreover a 2nd connected Gasly."

Asked really to do this, Wolff said: "Just freeing him up. Freeing him up. You know, he's a awesome driver. He has this unbelievable expertise and earthy talent. He's a racer. It's each there. But we request to get free of nan ballast."