Toto Wolff shared emotional moment with Kimi Antonelli during Lewis Hamilton win

Toto Wolff has revealed a heart-warming moment that he had at the British Grand Prix, watching on with Mercedes starlet Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton ended a 945-day winless run with a sensational triumph at Silverstone.

Hamilton’s most recent victory came back in Jeddah in 2021 during the penultimate round of his mighty title fight with Max Verstappen. After two-and-a-half barren years, the seven-time world champion claimed an emotional win in front of a sold-out Silverstone crowd after fending off his former arch-rival in the closing laps.

Watching on in the Mercedes garage was Antonelli, who is being heavily linked with the Ferrari-bound Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant seat in 2025. The 17-year-old was driving Formula Regional cars just last year but is now in line for an F1 seat to complete his astronomical rise.

Detailing his experience at Silverstone, Wolff explained: “I had this moment where you see the greatest British driver checking out with us at the British Grand Prix and in the garage, you have this young Italian that hasn't got a driving licence even, that was watching that scene, and I bet he thought, 'I want to be that one day'. Maybe not here, maybe Monza."

The British GP weekend was a landmark one for Hamilton and Mercedes, but it was also one to remember for Antonelli. The Bologna-born racer claimed his maiden Formula Two victory in Saturday’s sprint race, producing a masterful drive in wet conditions to book his ticket to the top step of the podium.

Addressing Antonelli’s sprint race joy, Wolff noted: “F2 is so difficult this year because the car... you can see that him and Bearman are struggling a lot with the car and he isn't happy with his driving and not [having] the pace in the race.

"But seeing him on Saturday walking over the water, at times two seconds quicker than everybody else, you can see the talent and the ability and the potential this young guy has. Winning that race I think took a lot of weight off his shoulders. Today it was a DNF but it wasn't his fault."

The victory was a breakthrough moment for Antonelli, who has been plagued by a combination of reliability issues and Prema’s struggles with the new F2 machines. Heading into Silverstone, the Italian had recorded four consecutive finishes of 12th or lower, sparking conversations about the true scale of his talent.