Mercedes’ new driver risks Toto Wolff wrath with birthday message to boss | F1 | Sport

Mercedes’ new driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has risked the wrath of Toto Wolff after sending his team principal a cheeky birthday message. Wolff, who helped the Silver Arrows win eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship titles between 2014 and 2021, celebrated his 53rd birthday on Sunday.

Antonelli was chosen by Mercedes to become George Russell’s team-mate after Lewis Hamilton had announced his intention to move to Ferrari.

And the 18-year-old will be desperate to illustrate his talents when the F1 season gets underway in mid-March.

And the Italian said: “Happy birthday Toto, you old man. Don’t worry, you’re still in great shape. Enjoy this day as much as possible with family. And yes, enjoy as well as much food as possible because today you don’t have to be a racing driver.”

Russell, meanwhile, appeared to allude to his F1 driver race number in his message as he stated: “Toto, happy birthday. I hope you have a great day. You look great for 63. 53? No, 63? You look great for 63.”

Antonelli didn’t get a chance to feature in a Grand Prix last year, with Hamilton opting to stay on until the very end. The teenage sensation did appear in some practice sessions, however, with his maiden appearance in FP1 at Monzo resulting in him crashing out.

And in November, he gave an update on his preparations for the 2025 F1 season as he wrote on the Mercedes website: “Monza was emotional.

“It was one of my two home races, and there was so much hype around the whole weekend – and I guess you could say I learned a lesson the hard way with what happened in FP1. The team helped me so much. They taught me how to face that moment and get through it without worrying too much.

“I’ve been really busy and have barely had time to stop and reflect on everything that has happened. Now I have the chance, I wanted to share with you all how my journey is progressing.

“Building a relationship with George will be important, and seeing how Lewis works with the team has been super cool to watch because he has so much experience. He really helps you understand the way he works.

“I don’t want to bother them during a weekend, but sometimes I ask for advice or ask for why they made a certain decision. They are both amazing. It’s been great to work with them both.”