Who is Kimi Antonelli is a question every F1 fan has been asking. He seems to have come out of nowhere! But that couldn’t be further from the truth… Thankfully for you, our experts have scoured the web to discover everything you need to know about F1’s newest driver for 2025.
In this blog, you’ll find out who he races for, his journey from F4 (spoilers) all the way to F1, and if he’s in a committed relationship.
So, what are we waiting for? Ready to learn everything about Kimi? Let’s go!
Who Is Kimi Antonelli?: A Brief Overview
Well, first things first, his real name isn’t Kimi! We know - crazy news. It’s actually Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He was born on 25th August 2006 and was raised in Italy’s Bologna.
Yep, that means he’s just 18 years old - making him one of the youngest Formula One drivers ever!
Some might say that race driving is in his blood and that he was destined for Formula One. And they’re not wrong! He’s the son of Marco Antonelli, a famous racing driver - but unlike Formula One, Marco drives sports cars.
Together, the father and son duo co-founded AKM Motorsport in 2023, a racing team based in San Marino. As part of his work for the team, Kimi serves as a coach for the drivers and he also tests all of the chassis.
Who Is He Racing For?
Now we’re getting into the important stuff! When it was announced that Lewis Hamilton was leaving Mercedes to go to Ferrari, it’s no secret that F1 fans all over the world were in shock.
And we were even more in shock when Mercedes announced that taking Hamilton’s seat would be a (then) 17-year-old… Did one of the very best F1 teams really just make such a mistake? We hope not… (Look, we all thought it, we just said it.)
He only passed his driving test six weeks before his official debut for Formula One!
However, after further research, there seems to be at least some method to the madness…
Kimi’s Time at the Mercedes Junior Team
Kimi joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019 - so, he’s been part of the Mercedes family for a number of years.
Could you really call him the new kid on the block then?.. We’re unsure!
It’s important to note that Kimi’s personal driver number 12 has been his number for years - even before he joined Formula One. He has previously stated that he was inspired to choose this number after his idol, Ayrton Senna.
Video Source: Kimi Antonelli
You know we love a fun Formula One helmet, and Kimi’s doesn’t disappoint. The main colour is bright blue but it also has white, green, and red details that are inspired by the national colours of his country.
Kimi is contracted to drive for Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season. Let’s see how he gets on… Who knows, he may be one of the best F1 drivers of all time!
FIA Regulation Changes... Inspired by Antonelli?
Shortly after it was announced that Antonelli was joining Mercedes, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) revealed it would be changing its regulations.
Long story short, the FIA has now lowered its regulations to allow 17-year-olds who have “demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in a single-seater formula car competition” to compete in F1 sessions. The previous age limit was 18 and the timing was very suspicious…
At the time, Toto Wolff, CEO and co-owner of Mercedes, said:
“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.
“Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed. [It] is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.
“We are excited about what George [Russell] and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership.”
Image Source: Mercedes
Will George and Kimi soon become the dream team? Only time will tell…
His Journey to Formula One
Kimi began his car racing career at the age of just 15! Given his dad’s past, you won’t be surprised to hear he started out karting but quickly moved into Formula Four.
He got his first F4 win in January 2022 at the UAE Championship race in Abu Dhabi. In the same season, he won the Italian and ADAC F4 championships. A year later, he took the Formula Regional Middle East and European categories. Across the two seasons, he started 35 times and won 22 of those races.
Four titles in two seasons is pretty good going!
Just like anyone else, we believed F3 would be the next move. However, Mercedes had other ideas…
He moved straight from F4 to F2 - lucky fella!
Kimi Antonelli’s Racing Career
|
Year |
Race |
Position |
|
2014-2021 |
Karting |
N/A |
|
2019 |
Mercedes Junior Driver |
N/A |
|
2021 |
Italian Formula 4 Championship |
10th (9 Races) |
|
2021 |
FIA Central European Zone Formula 4 |
9th (2 Races) |
|
2021 |
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F4 UAE Trophy Race |
3rd |
|
2022 |
Italian Formula 4 Championship |
Champion |
|
2022 |
ADAC Formula 4 Germany |
Champion |
|
2022 |
F4 UAE Championship |
8th (8 Races) |
|
2023 |
Formula Regional European Championship |
Champion |
|
2023 |
Formula Regional Middle East Championship |
Champion |
|
2024 |
Mercedes Junior Team Driver` |
N/A |
Let’s see if he will continue his Champion streak in his move from F2 to F1.
What Do We Know About His Personal Life?
In terms of his personal life, we don’t know much about who Kimi Antonelli is. However, there are some things we do know.
For example, Kimi has a girlfriend - Eliska Babickova. Fun fact: she is also a professional racing driver! In fact, she’s the first woman to be named Italian champion of the OK karting class.
Looks like they both like life in the fast lane! The pair celebrated a year together in October.
Image Source: Kimi Antonelli
