Toto Wolff believes Kimi Antonell is living up to his F1 expectations after being "parachuted" into grand prix racing following his stunning Las Vegas recovery.
In Sin City, Antonelli started 17th on the soft tyres, before being called in early under the virtual safety car to switch to hard tyres, ultimately climbing through the field to run fourth.
A second stop was widely expected for the rookie, but the Italian one-stopped his way to fourth on the road, having held off the McLaren of Oscar Piastri on merit before dropping behind due to a five-second time penalty for a false start.
However, Antonelli would ultimately end up in third, scoring a third career podium after the McLarens of Lando Norris and Piastri were disqualified, moving him to within just 15 points of the driver he replaced, Lewis Hamilton, in the standings.
Antonelli's form has rapidly improved since F1 left the European leg of the season, with all three of his podiums coming in the Americas, with Wolff declaring that "all is going to plan" with the protege, who first stepped into single-seater racing in mid-2021.
"He is 19 years old, and we always said that the first season can be difficult, and that's what we've seen at times.
"He's been parachuted into one of the big grand prix teams, and the pressure of that comes up on him.
"It is what I expected in terms of trajectory, and next year is going to be completely different, all new for all the drivers, but for him, he's been at the circuits, he's travelled and has experienced this and the pressure that comes when you are a driver.
"He is going to be one year older and more mature [in 2026], so it is all going to plan.
"I've never questioned the decision through the season, because we've always been expecting it to be full of ups and downs and moments of brilliance and then moments where you want to tear your hair out.
"It is not the end of his development, it is still in the very early stages, and we're going to see more of Kimi next year with solid performances and in the many years to come."
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