The Stats
AGE: 18 | GPS: 2 | CHAMP. BEST: n/a | Race Best: 4th | Grid Best: 8th
| Full Name | Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
| Date of Birth | 25/08/06 |
| Place of Birth | Bologna, Italy |
| Team | Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| First Entry | Australia 25 |
| First Podium | n/a |
| First Win | n/a |
| Last Win | n/a |
| Last Podium | n/a |
| Most Successful Track | Albert Park Circuit, Australia | 1 x 4th |
The Bio
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s rise to the F1 grid has been nothing short of meteoric.
Son of sportscar racer Marco, the Bologna native was scouted by Mercedes during a karting career that saw him collect a scarcely believable number of winner’s trophies.
He went on to make his car racing debut aged just 15, with more titles swiftly following – in both the Italian and ADAC F4 championships in 2022 and the Formula Regional Middle East and European categories a year later.
Most onlookers saw F3 as the logical next move, but Mercedes already knew they had a star on their hands and decided that a promotion to F2 – effectively skipping a step on the ladder – would better serve their latest hot prospect.
It was always going to be a lot to ask of the teenager, with the noise around his future prospects only growing when Lewis Hamilton dropped the bombshell that he would be swapping Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 – opening up a spot alongside George Russell.
Antonelli got his head down to make a solid rather than spectacular start to life in F2, but as the season went on he started to show his quality.
Mercedes had seen enough and, shortly after Antonelli’s 18th birthday, the squad announced at the Italian Grand Prix that the home favourite would indeed be replacing seven-time world champion Hamilton at the Silver Arrows.
The Photos
