As such, there is nothing stopping Antonelli, who is 17 and will turn 18 in August, being promoted to the top echelon, should the opportunity arise.
Asked for his reaction to the changes ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Wolff said: “The president of the FIA always had the ability and discretion of letting a driver drive, if you believe that the performance was good enough.
“I think the change of regulations isn’t [about] Antonelli, it is generally to make sure that drivers with the right pedigree, CVs, success and maturity are able to race in F1, rather than a birth date. I think that was the right decision.”
Antonelli is currently racing through his rookie season in F2, sitting sixth in the drivers’ standings after five rounds, and has also completed several tests in F1 machinery with Mercedes in recent months.