Once F1 had left Europe in the autumn of last year, there was a shift.
“Suddenly, we felt like we were making really good progress,” says Shovlin.
“There were signs towards the end of the year. I’m not saying any of us thought we’d see what we’ve seen so far this year, but that we had a decent F1 driver.”
Antonelli has been rather more than that this year. He has taken the season by storm, and established a consistent supremacy over Russell.
In the best car in the field, Antonelli has taken six poles and six wins in 11 races and heads into the second half of the season, starting at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, with a 50-point lead in the championship, and well on course for his first world title. If it had not been for dodgy reliability, he could be even further ahead.
The extent of this turnaround has shocked almost everyone.
“We were all surprised,” Wolff says. “My thoughts were always that he needed to make the experience of knowing all the tracks, the pressure of performing on such a high level under the spotlight of the media, the constant public feedback, whether you’re doing well or not, the situations everyone wanted to be close to him.
“There wasn’t one single defining factor where I would have said that made it difficult for him, but this year, he knew exactly what to expect. What was really nice to see is that the self-confidence, without feeling any entitlement, has shone.”
Marco points to his son’s “very strong” mentality.
“In F4 and Freca, he started with not good results, and he was able to remake everything and, at the end, work hard and win the championship,” he says.
“We talk about F1. I don’t know what the spark is in his brain, but Kimi in the past did the same.”
Verstappen says: “For me, there was never any doubt that he would make the jump the year after and already be a lot more consistently competitive.
“It’s normal in the progression of a driver. In your rookie season, it can be quite tough, but at the moment, of course, he’s doing an amazing job.”
Kimi pays tribute to his father, describing him as his “rock”, while Wolff also praises the driver’s “typical Italian family”.
“They are caring, they are loving,” Wolff says. “Kimi’s character, he’s gentle, he has empathy, he has charisma, he has the right amount of intelligence for being a racing driver.”