Wolff says Antonelli still no Senna, but 'Senninha' can grow

SAO PAULO, Nov 8 : Mercedes boss Toto Wolff may still be reluctant to compare Kimi Antonelli to Ayrton Senna but, after a week immersed in the late Brazilian driver's legacy and family, he suggested there may be room for a "Senninha" after all.

Antonelli spent time with members of Senna's family ahead of Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, sat in the cockpit of the triple world champion's 1986 Lotus and visited his grave before racing at Interlagos, where Senna remains a ubiquitous presence.

The 20-year-old Italian became Formula One's youngest world champion after clinching the drivers' title in Mexico last week.

While Wolff again cautioned against measuring Antonelli against the Brazilian great, he said members of the Senna family had jokingly embraced the Italian as a potential "Senninha", or "Little Senna".

"Comparing Kimi to Senna, I was always not very keen in having this comparison," Wolff told reporters. "Because, you know, Senna is a giant of the sport. Who he was as a person, who he was as a racing driver.

"And I feel that setting these standards for a 20-year-old driver is a lot of pressure, and that's why I want to not compare him at that stage."

But the Austrian struck a lighter tone when discussing Antonelli's reception in Brazil.

"It's sweet to see how the Senna family embraces him. They say that it's the first time that it looks like there is a second Senninha. That is the first time that you can see, 'Okay, you know, he's a little bit like him'.

"But maybe at that stage he's a Senninha and not a Senna yet. So let the Senninha develop, let him become a Senna."

The remark carried particular resonance in Brazil, where "Senninha" is also the name of a hugely popular comic book character inspired by Senna and launched only