Kimi Antonelli was already one of the most talked about drivers in F1, before even making his debut. The teenager was a very highly rated, talented protege, and fans were intrigued to see what he could do in F1. But another reason for his popularity was him sharing his name with an F1 legend, Kimi Raikkonen. But is Kimi Antonelli actually named after Kimi Raikkonen?
Kimi Antonelli is making waves in the F1 world, and he is still only 18. Sharing the same name as Raikkonen, many fans presumed that his name was inspired by The Iceman. The fact that he was born in 2007, the same year Raikonnen won his world champion, further fueled fan theories. So, let’s discover if Antonelli was actually named after Raikkonen or not.
Is Kimi Antonelli named after Kimi Raikkonen?
Well, the straightforward answer is, no. Kimi Antonelli was not named after Kimi Raikkonen. In fact, Kimi is not even his actual first name. His full name is actually Andrea Kimi Antonelli, meaning ‘Kimi’ is simply his middle name.
Speaking before he made his F1 debut in March, Antonelli explained the story behind how he got his name. The whole thing comes from his parents wanting to give him a non-Italian sounding middle name.
“Basically, my parents wanted to give me a second name that would fit well with the first name and the surname, but they didn’t want a second Italian name. They wanted something different.” explained Antonelli. [via The BBC]
“A really good friend of ours, his name is Enrico Bertaggia, he has a background of racing. He decided to name me Kimi. My parents said: ‘Yeah, it sounds great.’ And so I got named.” he added.
So, the following question that arises is, why does everyone call him by his middle name, rather than referring to him as Andrea?
Why is Kimi known by his middle name?
Kimi Antonelli also explained that Kimi, as his name, simply just stuck, when he came into the racing world. The teenager understood why this happened, claiming that Kimi is just a simpler name. He also thinks people started to refer to him by this name, because it is an “iconic name” in the world of racing.
Antonelli also shared that his family, and closest friends, do call him by his real first name, Andrea.
Kimi Antonelli has broken multiple record already in his debut F1 season. Earlier this year, he became the youngest driver ever to lead an F1 race, and earn the fastest lap, at Suzuka. Most recently in Canada, he also became the third youngest ever podium finisher in F1.
All eyes were on Antonelli before he even made his F1 debut. He also to contend with the added pressure of being Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes. But the teenager has now showcased why he was so highly rated, by putting in multiple impressive performances in his first 10 F1 outings.
