Andrea Kimi Antonelli has reflected impeccable driving which has made him an F1 sensation in just his first season with Mercedes. The 18-year-old Italian debuted with the team full-time this season as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
While his lack of experience in the more advanced series was first questioned, he has managed to silence the critics. His extraordinary performance in Canada earlier last week made Antonelli the third youngest F1 driver in history to finish within the top three. He has remained a competitive driver throughout the early stages of his career. Winning two championships in one year saw him skip the Formula 3 class and make his F2 debut last year. However, he did not spend ample time behind the wheel of the Prema Racing car. Mercedes quickly signed him as Hamilton’s replacement for this season, pairing him with the much more experienced George Russell.
He has his father’s racing experience behind him, guiding him as he races at the pinnacle of motorsport. But there is a whole story behind the young driver’s life.
Where was Andrea Kimi Antonelli born?
Antonelli was born on August 25, 2006, in Bologna, Italy. Not a lot is known about his educational background, considering he is still pursuing school. A clip on social media shortly after his Mercedes debut went viral, which showcased him with his classmates in school. He also revealed earlier that he was in his final year of school. He didn’t plan on quitting despite the difficulties in managing it with his F1 career. The 18-year-old revealed that his mother cared for his education.
“I have the last year of school [to do],” Antonelli said on The Fast and the Curious podcast.
“I have final exams, so I’m trying at the moment to fit [in] a date where I can do it, which is pretty difficult at the moment. I’ve been doing so many years of school and it would be a shame to just quit on the last year of school, and also my Mum really cares about it, so I will do it for her as well.”
He will soon be out of school and can focus on Formula 1 more clearly. Despite this, he has pulled off extremely impressive results.
Who are Antonelli’s parents?
He was born to Marco and Veronica Antonelli. He has quite some backing in motorsports through his parents, considering his father’s background in racing. Marco, his father, runs quite a few touring series, including the Italian GT Championship. Marco has been involved in racing since the late 1980s and also founded Antonelli Motorsports in 1993. Investments like these have helped him build a financial backup for his son’s racing career.
As for his mother, Veronica, she is Poste Italiane’s former employee but has worked in the motorsports industry for close to three decades now. However, not a lot is known about her as she chooses to remain out of the spotlight.
Kimi Antonelli also has a younger sister, Maggie, who was spotted in the Paddock earlier this season.
Tracing Kimi Antonelli’s racing career
Like any other driver, Antonelli began his career in karting. His professional career started in 2014 when he was just eight, racing for his father’s team. He finished second in the Academy Champion Kart International Final that year. He has been quite consistent in karting throughout his career with multiple championship wins.
Antonelli took his first major step in 2021 after getting into the Italian Formula 4 Championship. While he did manage to score three podiums, there was no real success for the young driver. But he improved massively the following year. He raced with Prema Racing in both the Italian F4 and ADAC F4. In a massive hit, he won both championships with flying colors. In 2023, he won the Formula Regional in both the Middle East and Europe, proving his worth behind the wheel.
Regarded as a prodigy at this juncture, Antonelli successfully bypassed Formula 3, advancing to Formula 2 in 2024. Nevertheless, he did not acquire adequate experience in the series before being contracted by Mercedes to compete in Formula 1 for the 2025 season.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will seemingly win the Rookie of the Year title this season. He has delivered extremely consistent results so far and continues to be a promising driver.
