AN ITALIAN AT MERCEDES – Is called Andrea Kimi Antonelli (in the pictures) the Italian driver born in 2006 from the province of Bologna who will take the place of Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes in 2025, the year in which the English ace will move to Ferrari. The German company took a long view, deciding to sign him at just 11 years old, a period in which he was racing in the 60 Mini Kart. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff saw in Antonelli a predestined. However, the first to notice that Andrea Kimi Antonelli actually had the so-called “X Factor” were Giovanni Minardi and his father Giancarlo Minardi, a famous talent scout who gave Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso their debut in F1.
FAMILY TRADITION – Antonelli’s arrival at Mercedes already in 2025 it is possible thanks to the FIA’s decision to grant the super license also to drivers who are not yet of age, but who “have demonstrated ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competitions”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli he is the son of Marco Antonelli, racing driver and owner of the AKM Motorsport team, a team that races in various GT championships and in Formula 4.
CAREER SO FAR – Despite his young age he already has a very respectable list of achievements. In the 2018 he joined Dino Chiesa’s Kart Republic team, who in the past worked with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, this year he won the WSK Champions Cup – 60 Mini and came second in the Italian Kart championship. In 2019 he moved up a category, moved to OKJ, won the WSK Euro Series and the WSK Final Cup, and came second in the FIA Karting European Championship. In the 2020 he reaches the OK category, wins the WSK Euro Series and becomes the European Champion in his category, winning two of the four races of the final series. Also in 2020 he participates in the championship world FIA of Karting where he was involved in an accident, sustaining fractures.
Having recovered from his injury, Antonelli returns to victory in the CIK-FIA European Championship. In the 2021 he took part in the first tests with a Formula 4 car with the AKM Motorsport team on the Red Bull Ring and at the age of fifteen he made his debut in the fifth round of the Italian Formula 4 with the Prema team. He is confirmed in Prema also in 2022while in 2023 participates in the Formula Regional Middle East driving for the Mumbai Falcons team, winning the title and obtaining the points necessary for the FIA Superlicence. For the rest of the year he signed up for the European Formula Regional with the Prema team and won his fourth title in as many categories contested.
In 2019 he became a member of Mercedes Junior Team and in April 2024 it participates in the test program with the German team. The landing in Formula 1 it could also happen this year at Williams in place of Sargeant.
