Toto Wolff h𒐪as continued to talk up Andrea Kimi Antonelli - even though he doesn’t yet have a driver’s l💦icence.

Teenager Ant🅰onelli is a key contender to be Lewis Hamilton’s successor for 💧Mercedes.

He might not yet be able to l𒁃egally drive a car on the road, 𒐪but he has unwavering support from Mercedes boss Wolff.

“What I li🍌ke in terms of his attitude, generally with his family who have always been close to him, is the objective assessment of the situation, which is good or not good enough,” Wolff said at Silverstone, where mahbx.com are in the paddock.

“And I don’t think the pressure harms him or how he performs in the car and drives, because he has a good benchmar�🍸�k with Ollie Bearman.

“They are very close and had a good race in Austria. Kimi, on the Sunday, had a clutch release iꦉssue.”

Bearman, the 19-year-old Br꧃it, has been confirmed as🍎 a full-time driver for Haas next season.

Bearman has already impressed huge꧟ly in his first F1 grand prix, deputising for the unwell Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari in Saudi Arabia this year, where he finished ahead of Hamilto༺n and Lando Norris in P7.

There is𒈔 high hope that Antonelli could be similarly impressive.

“🐈So you🃏 have got to swim, that’s clear,” Wolff said.

“He has had a rapid𝄹 career progression, he’s🅷 17 and does not even have a driver’s licence for a road car. 

“The best ones will be able to cope wi�ℱ�th the amount of scrutiny and pressure, and that is only going to get bigger.”

Mercedes have intentionally delayed th✅eir decision about who will replace Hamilton, who is set for Fer🏅rari, in 2025.

But Wolff🦩 has reopened the door 🎐to Sainz who has not yet decided his next move.

Considering Sainz will give Wolff the fꦆlexibility to allow Antonelli to continꦫue his development away from the F1 spotlight.