Rising Star: Kimi Antonelli’s Road to F1
As contenders vie for the remaining Mercedes seat, a name floats around the paddock. Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old Mercedes junior has been linked to the seat since the announcement of seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton’s departure from the team.
Antonelli’s meteoric rise through the ranks has been nothing short of spectacular. Starting off in karting at the age of 7, he went on to win several karting cups, and in 2020 and 2021, he won two consecutive titles as the CIK-FIA Karting European Champion.
Following this, in 2021, he began his venture into single-seater racing, entering the Italian F4 Championship in the fifth round of the championship. Antonelli battled championship leader, Ollie Bearman, hard picking up notable podiums at Monza, and finishing the season off with a remarkable 10th in the standings, despite joining in the later rounds.
In his second year at Italian F4, after a disappointing start to his campaign, he dominated the rest of the rounds with wins at Misano, Spa-Francorchamps, Vallelunga, Spielberg, and Monza, wrapping up the title by Race 1 at Mugello.
Antonelli has competed in several other series such as the Formula 4 UAE Championship, and ADAC Formula 4 Championship, represented Team Italy at the Motorsport Games F4 Cup, and even won a race in the Italian GT Sprint Championship. The Italian has won the Formula Regional European Championship, and the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
In 2024, he decided to graduate straight to Formula 2. Although unconventional, the decision to skip Formula 3, was made with hopes to accelerate his path to Formula 1. And although the jump is big, he is more than capable as represented by his previous distinctions.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, has a prodigy in his hands, and with the Austrian missing out on signing a 17-year-old Max Verstappen several years ago, he certainly does not want to miss the chance of having a talent of this immense in his team. Antonelli’s age, however, is still among the deciding factors of his signing to the Brackley-based team.
“We are hyping the young man for a long time now,” said Wolff. “He will be a very good and a great driver one day in Formula 1, but he is 17.
“I think we should let him do his F2 thing and deliver results and not be too carried away with what could be or should be.
“We’ll see, he’s going to be in Formula 1 one day, but let’s not rush it.”
Lewis Hamilton backed Antonelli to join the Silver Arrows in 2025.
“Honestly, I have no idea what Toto’s plans are, but for me, taking on a youngster, if it was my role, I would probably take on Kimi.”
Max Verstappen echoed a similar sentiment. As a driver who made his debut at 17, the Dutchman is aware of the learning curve but shares the conviction that it shouldn’t stop the young driver from joining F1.
He said, “When you’re talented — and you can see that with Kimi, he’s very talented — I don’t think you should be too worried. Make mistakes — you have to make mistakes. Ideally you like to make those mistakes when you’re not fighting for championships or whatever.
As the Mercedes seat remains up for contention, the paddock buzzes with speculation, with other names such as an outgoing Carlos Sainz linked to the seat too. A career backed by Mercedes, and endorsed by F1 world champions, he is certainly a compelling candidate, and his previous results reflect a determination that is akin to those at the top. The Italian protege is currently sixth in the F2 standings after the first four rounds, but there’s a long way to go.
The coming months will be crucial, with a potential leap up to the pinnacle of the sport in sight, the motorsport world watches with bated breath. He is a talent that is sure to grace Formula 1.
The question is simply: when?
