Kimi Antonelli: Everyone is raving about this young Italian

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is 17 years old and has a name that makes him ideal for a great career. “He is, in a sense, a child prodigy,” says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about the super talent. But who is this boy from Bologna?

26. February 2024

From: apa/fop

The Italian is a member of the Mercedes junior squad and made his debut in Formula 2 this season. He is considered the best young driver in recent memory, which is why some see him in Formula 2026 as early as 2025 or even 1.

“He won everything there was to win in karting. He got into Formula 4 and won all the championships in his rookie year, and one level higher he also destroyed everything,” said Wolff ORF Antonelli's impressive career to date. “A great boy and extremely talented,” says ServusTV-Expert Mathias Lauda.

The son of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda absolutely raves about Antonelli. “I know someone who was in the championships last year where he drove and he’s supposed to be incredible,” he said. “I also heard that he drove a Formula 3 test in the rain in preparation for Formula 2 and was by far the fastest. And if you look at the times in Bahrain during the Formula 2 test, he was doing very, very well.”

“I also want to take a little pressure off him. He’s only 17.” Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff

Mercedes is looking for a second driver alongside George Russell in the medium term. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is known to be joining Ferrari in 2025, leaving a big gap in the Brackley crew. Lauda's recommendation for Wolff: He would sign Fernando Alonso for a year and then bring Antonelli up.

Wolff himself deliberately wants to keep the ball flat. “Kimi has been in our junior squad since he was eleven, and we have a lot of fun watching him grow and go through the individual series,” emphasized the Viennese. “But I also want to take a little pressure off him. He's only 17.” Nevertheless, Mercedes is aware of Antonelli's extraordinary talent and let him skip Formula 3. “He will be a very, very successful Formula 1 driver, but he hasn’t even started his Formula 2 season yet,” emphasized Wolff.

The only question is: 2025 or 2026?

Antonelli simply couldn't drive in Formula 1 until he was 18, the Austrian explained. “That won’t happen until late summer. But we will run a large test program with it and then see whether it is ready for 2025 or 2026. Or a different situation arises. The driver market with the current drivers is also incredibly strong because really strong people are becoming available. “We’re looking at it and there will be an initial assessment after Melbourne,” added Wolff Sports on Sunday Insights.

Kimi Antonelli drove away from everyone in Formula 4. © APA / Eibner

After starting karting at a young age, Antonelli competed in the German and Italian Formula 4 Championships, then the Formula Regional European Championship. His father Marco is a former racing driver and owner of the AKM Motorsport team, which competes in Italian Formula 4. “When he's not racing, he works for his father's team. Works on the car, knows the data, cleans the truck. “So he grew up with it,” Lauda reported.

“You have to be careful not to exaggerate the pressure to call him a new Verstappen.” Mathias lauda

The 43-year-old said you should be careful with comparisons. “You have to be careful not to exaggerate the pressure to call him a new Verstappen. This is of course difficult. But so far the boy has done everything right,” said Lauda. “Not driving in Formula 3 and going straight into Formula 2 is a huge step at the age of 17.” But Antonelli definitely has the talent for Formula 1. “The only question is when?” An intermediate step would also be conceivable for the super talent with a Mercedes customer team, as was already the case with Russell or Esteban Ocon.