Toto Wolff has hailed Peter Bonnington as a "superstar" and the "best in the business" as he attempts to guide Kimi Antonelli through the rigours of the title race.
Bonnington is unique among F1 race engineers, in that he is the only one to work directly in that position with the two seven-time world champions, in Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
The Hamilton-Bonnington partnership is the most successful in F1 history, with six drivers' titles and 83 of Hamilton's 84 wins for Mercedes, with Bonnington having missed the 2019 Mexican GP win for personal reasons.
Thus far in 2026, Bonnington has engineered Antonelli to five wins from seven races and a 41-point lead in the standings over Hamilton.
There have been times, including in Canada, when battling with George Russell, where Antonelli appeared to lose control of his emotions, before being brought under control by Bonnington.
Addressing the impact of the veteran engineer on the young protege, Wolff explained just why 'Bono' is the "best in the business."
"Bono is a superstar; he's worked with the greats," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.
"He was fortunate enough to work with Michael and then Lewis, and now Kimi, and he is the optimum combination of an engineer.
"Nerdy when he needs to be nerdy to look at the science and the data, but also super compassionate when the driver needs support.
"He is patient, which is also a feature when dealing with complicated brains of drivers is necessary, but he is also firm.
"He was firm with Lewis, and he was firm with Kimi, and drivers also need to see that there is a certain line that they cannot crash with their race engineer.
"For me, [Bonnington] is the best in the business."
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