“Who Is This Kid Supposed to Be?”: Toto Wolff Reveals Mercedes Lost Two Major Sponsors After Betting on Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that two prominent corporate sponsors abruptly pulled their funding from the team following the decision to promote Italian prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli directly into Lewis Hamilton’s vacant Formula 1 seat.
Speaking to Sky Sports in the wake of Antonelli clinching his maiden F1 World Championship—securing Mercedes’ first drivers’ title since 2020—Wolff reflected on the initial commercial skepticism and pushback that accompanied replacing a seven-time world champion with an 18-year-old rookie.
Sponsor Skepticism and a Brutal Nine-Word Dismissal
When Lewis Hamilton announced his seismic departure for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season, the Brackley-based outfit was heavily linked with high-profile names, including Max Verstappen. Instead, Wolff placed his faith in Mercedes junior driver Antonelli, who at the time held just two Formula 2 race wins on his junior single-seater résumé:
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The Backlash: Wolff recalled that commercial partners were far from unanimous in endorsing the gamble:“We had two sponsors who left us because of it. They asked me: ‘Kimi Antonelli, who is this kid supposed to be?’ And there were others who have stayed with us to this day, and they are now reaping the rewards.”
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The Commercial Fallout: While Wolff did not formally identify the departing brands by name, long-term apparel partner Tommy Hilfiger and sportswear supplier Puma both concluded their team sponsorship agreements following the 2024 campaign.
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New Backing: Mercedes subsequently onboarded Adidas to headline their technical kit partnerships, while a proposed agreement with Gillette fell through when the personal care brand opted to back Audi’s emerging works entry instead.
Conviction from Day One: Inside Skeldale-Level Certainty
Despite the commercial friction, Wolff maintained that his intuition and internal metrics never wavered from the moment Hamilton broke the news of his Maranello move:
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Instant Clarity:“When Lewis stood at my door that morning, everything was already clear to me. The moment he confirmed that he was going to Ferrari, I knew Kimi would be in the car.”
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Internal Disbelief: When Wolff shared his immediate decision with deputy team principal Bradley Lord and technical director James Allison, both initially reacted with shock, asking: “What are you talking about?”
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Backed by the Data: Wolff insisted the choice was rooted in empirical telemetry rather than blind optimism:“We had the data. We didn’t need any more confirmation. Kimi had already confirmed it through his success in Formula 4 and Formula Regional. The rest was crystal clear.”
From Rookie Growing Pains to Championship Glory
Antonelli’s path to vindicating Wolff’s faith required weathering early adversity:
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The Debut Learning Curve: In his rookie F1 campaign, Antonelli endured a challenging transitional year, securing three podium finishes on his way to a seventh-place finish in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
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Championship Payoff: Rather than derailing his momentum, the developmental season served as a launchpad. Just twelve months later, Antonelli put together a dominant title campaign, delivering Mercedes back to the pinnacle of Formula 1 and leaving the sponsors who walked away looking on from the sidelines.
