Kimi Antonelli: The boy born in a garage to F1 stardom
Discover the journey of 19-year-old F1 rising star Kimi Antonelli, from driving on his dad's lap to joining Mercedes.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Kimi Antonelli drove a Lamborghini at 320 km/h while sitting on his dad's lap at age 10.
- He grew up in a family racing garage and was exposed to engine sounds at 15 days old.
- Mercedes scouted and signed him to their driver academy when he was 11 years old.
- Toto Wolff eyed him as a potential successor to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Nineteen-year-old Formula 1 rising star Kimi Antonelli is currently making waves in motorsport, but his journey began when he was only 10 years old at the Adria circuit in north-east Italy. His father Marco, a former driver running a Lamborghini sports car team, invited his son to try out a Lamborghini at the end of a track day.
Marco strapped them both in, operating the throttle and brake while Kimi handled the rest. They built up speed until reaching the end of the straight at 320 km/h. Marco recounted how Kimi perfectly controlled the severe oversteer at the limit before changing gears and powering away.
Growing up immersed in a professional racing environment provided Kimi Antonelli with early exposure to car dynamics, accelerating his development and instinctive control compared to his peers.
Kimi's connection to motorsport started in infancy. Marco shared that Kimi was in the garage hearing engines and smelling exhaust from just 15 days old. During Christmas when Kimi was about three, Marco brought home a simulator from the Bologna Motor Show, and the boy wanted to drive it every evening on his father's lap.
Despite this early talent, Marco initially hesitated to encourage a racing career due to his own struggles in the 1990s, where potential works driver deals with Alfa Romeo and BMW fell through. However, when Kimi tried a go-kart at age five, he immediately demonstrated an instinctive grasp of racing lines and braking points.
Because the Antonelli family operated on a normal budget, Marco planned to fund Kimi through karting and Formula 4 before moving him into the family's GT cars. Instead, Kimi won everywhere he raced, catching the attention of Mercedes driver academy scout Gwen Lagrue when Kimi was 11.
"When he was in karting, you could already see he was one of the stand-out talents,"
Max Verstappen
After joining the Mercedes driver academy, financial pressures eased. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen noted that Kimi's standout talent was evident even during his karting days. By late 2021, Kimi transitioned fully into single-seaters, sweeping titles in Italian Formula 4 in 2022 and the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023.
Kimi's rapid ascent prompted Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to view him as a generational successor to Lewis Hamilton, ultimately influencing contract negotiations that led Hamilton to sign with Ferrari for 2025.
Source: BBC Sport
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