Toto Wolff: Two sponsors left Mercedes after promoting Kimi Antonelli into F1
At the Mexico Grand Prix, Mercedes reaped the reward for the courage it showed in putting the then 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli in the cockpit from 2025 with his world championship triumph in his just second Formula 1 season.

Toto Wolff: What Happened
Motorsport.com reported on Monday, November 2, 2026 in a story involving Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli. Here is how the report opens:
At the Mexico Grand Prix, Mercedes reaped the reward for the courage it showed in putting the then 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli in the cockpit from 2025 with his world championship triumph in his just second Formula 1 season. It was courage that not everyone in the Mercedes sphere shared from the outset, as team principal Toto Wolff now reveals. "We had two sponsors who left us because of it…
It is one of many Formula 1 stories we are following today. Below are the key takeaways, how the story is being reported across the sport, background on Kimi Antonelli and what to watch next.
Key Takeaways
- The story: Toto Wolff: Two sponsors left Mercedes after promoting Kimi Antonelli into F1
- Who’s involved: Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli and Mexico Grand Prix
- League: Formula 1
- First reported: Monday, November 2, 2026 by Motorsport.com
How Other Outlets Are Covering It
The same F1 story, as reported by 0 other outlets:
- Toto Wolff hits out at F1’s “entitled” drivers and “endless moaners on the radio”Motorsport.com After a stunning championship win from his young driver Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has criticised the "entitled" drivers and "endless moaners on the radio" in Formula 1. He believes this year's…
Background: Kimi Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italian: [anˈdrɛːa ˈkiːmi antoˈnɛlli]; born 25 August 2006) is an Italian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Mercedes. Antonelli won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2026 with Mercedes, becoming the youngest-ever World Drivers' Champion; he has won nine Grands Prix since his debut in 2025.
Born and raised in Bologna, Antonelli is the son of sportscar racing driver Marco Antonelli. After a successful karting career—culminating in back-to-back victories at the senior European Championship in 2020 and 2021—Antonelli graduated to junior formulae.
Text from Wikipedia’s Kimi Antonelli article, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What’s Next for Toto Wolff
For fans following Toto Wolff, the next things to watch are the race results, qualifying, driver standings and constructors’ championship. Stories like this one tend to move quickly, so check back for follow-up reports and reaction as more outlets pick it up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened with Toto Wolff?
At the Mexico Grand Prix, Mercedes reaped the reward for the courage it showed in putting the then 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli in the cockpit from 2025 with his world championship triumph in his just second Formula 1 season. It was courage that not everyone in the Mercedes sphere shared from the outset, as team principal Toto Wolff now reveals. "We had two sponsors who left us because of it… Motorsport.com reported the story on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Who reported this F1 story?
Motorsport.com first reported it on Monday, November 2, 2026. Motorsport.com also covered it. ForTheFans summarizes it here with background and related Formula 1 news.
Where can I get the latest Formula 1 news today?
The ForTheFans Formula 1 page collects every F1 headline as it breaks, including race results, qualifying and driver standings, with live scores on our scores page.
Summarized by ForTheFans from reporting by Motorsport.com. Headlines, quoted text and photos belong to their publishers. How we report
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