Andrea Kimi Antonelli (born 25 August 2006) is an Italian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Mercedes. Antonelli has won six Formula One Grands Prix since his debut in 2025.
Antonelli was born and raised in Bologna, the son of sportscar racing driver Marco Antonelli.
He joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019 and signed with Mercedes in 2025, replacing Lewis Hamilton as George Russell’s teammate. At the Australian Grand Prix, he became the third-youngest driver in Formula One history at age 18. In his rookie season, he achieved his first podium at the Canadian Grand Prix and became the youngest driver to set a fastest lap. In 2026, as Mercedes led the field, Antonelli won six Grands Prix and became the youngest-ever polesitter in China and the youngest World Drivers’ Championship leader in Japan.
By the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli had recorded six race wins, six pole positions, nine fastest laps, and eleven podiums in Formula One. He holds several records, including being the youngest driver to lead a lap and to achieve a grand chelem. Antonelli is contracted to remain with Mercedes through at least the end of the 2026 season.
Profile Summary
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kimi Antonelli |
| Birth Name | Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
| Date of Birth | 25 August 2006 (age 19) |
| Place of Birth | Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Father | Marco Antonelli |
| Awards | Full list |
Formula One World Championship Career
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| 2026 Team | Mercedes |
| Car Number | 12 |
| Entries (Starts) | 34 (34 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podiums | 11 |
| Career Points | 354 |
| Pole Positions | 6 |
| Fastest Laps | 9 |
| First Entry | 2025 Australian Grand Prix |
| First Win | 2026 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Last Win | 2026 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last Entry | 2026 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 2025 Championship Position | 7th (150 points) |
Previous Racing Series
| Year(s) | Series |
|---|---|
| 2024 | FIA Formula 2 |
| 2023 | Formula Regional European Championship |
| 2023 | Formula Regional Middle East Championship |
| 2022 | ADAC Formula 4 |
| 2022 | Formula 4 UAE Championship |
| 2021–2022 | Italian Formula 4 Championship |
Championship Titles
| Year | Championship |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Formula Regional European Championship |
| 2023 | Formula Regional Middle East Championship |
| 2022 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship |
| 2022 | Italian Formula 4 Championship |
Medal Record
| Competition | Representing | Medal | Event | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIA Motorsport Games | Italy | Gold | 2022 Le Castellet | F4 Cup |
Age
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006 (age 19) in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Biography
Antonelli is the son of sportscar racing driver and team owner Marco Antonelli.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. His father, Marco Antonelli, is a sportscar racing driver and owner of the San Marino–based AKM Motorsport racing team, which has competed in the Italian F4 Championship since 2022. He founded Antonelli Motorsport in 1993, which competed in several GT series, winning the 2018 Italian GT Championship. His mother, Veronica Pomaro, is a former employee of Poste Italiane and has worked in motorsport since 1997, helping Marco operate AKM. He has a younger sister named Maggie.
Antonelli’s middle name, Kimi, matches that of 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen. However, Antonelli has stated that Enrico Bertaggia suggested the name to his father, who sought a foreign name after “Andrea,” and that he was not named after Räikkönen. He studied international relations and marketing at ITCS Gaetano Salvemini in Casalecchio di Reno. He learned English during race weekends and acquired German after joining the Mercedes Junior Team.
Formula One career
Mercedes announced in April 2019 that Antonelli had joined its Junior Team at age 12. Unlike Lewis Hamilton, who joined McLaren in 1998, Antonelli declined early interest from the Ferrari Driver Academy due to age restrictions. On April 17 and 18, 2024, he completed his first two-day test with Mercedes, driving the W12 at the Red Bull Ring. He subsequently conducted private tests in the W13 at Imola, Silverstone, Barcelona-Catalunya, and Spa-Francorchamps. Following a rule change allowing drivers to obtain an FIA Super Licence at 17, speculation arose that Antonelli would replace Logan Sargeant at Williams in 2024. Mercedes denied these rumors and instead suggested Mick Schumacher.
Antonelli made his free practice debut at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, driving George Russell’s W15 in the first session. He set the fastest lap but spun at the Curva Alboreto corner ten minutes into the session, hitting the tyre barrier at 52 g (510 m/s2; 1,700 ft/s2).
Other racing
Antonelli made his sportscar racing debut in May 2023, competing for his father’s AKM Motorsport team in the opening round of the Italian GT3 Championship at Misano with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. He won the first race from pole position and finished third in the second race after overtaking Jens Klingmann, who later became champion, on the final corner. The following year, Antonelli tested the GT3 Evo at Imola.
Other ventures
Antonelli appeared as Matteo in the sports drama film Italian Race (2016), which won four Nastro d’Argento awards. In 2023, he co-founded the kart racing team AKM Motorsport by Kart Republic with his father, where he serves as a driver coach and chassis tester. He is featured in the short documentary The Seat (2025), directed by Kyle Thrash and released on Netflix, which documents his promotion to Mercedes in 2025. In 2025, he was named ambassador of Italian sport for San Marino by the Congress of State and served as a torchbearer before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Personal life
Antonelli selected number 12 as his Formula One driver number, inspired by his idol Ayrton Senna, and also used this number during his 2022 and 2023 championship seasons in junior formulae. He passed his driving test six weeks before his Formula One debut and continued his online studies for his maturità during the first half of his rookie season. That year, Mercedes-AMG presented him with a GT 63 S, but he is unable to drive it in Italy for three years due to its power-to-weight ratio exceeding the national limit for new drivers. In January 2026, he received a limited-edition GT 63 PRO and was involved in a minor accident a month later near his home in Serravalle, San Marino, but was not injured.
Between 2023 and 2026, Antonelli was in a relationship with Czech kart racer Eliška Bábíčková, who won the OK class of the Italian Karting Championship in 2023. She is also the sister of Tereza Bábíčková, a 2022 W Series driver who raced against Antonelli in karts. His racing helmet is mainly Savoy blue with green, white, and red details, reflecting the colors of Italy. Antonelli has said he hopes to match the success of Italian athletes Jannik Sinner and Valentino Rossi. Outside racing, he supports the football club Bologna and basketball club Virtus Bologna. He is also interested in automotive design and architecture.
Awards and honours
Formula One
- Lorenzo Bandini Trophy: 2026
Other awards
- Time 100 Sports: 2026
- Confartigianato Motori Italian on the Podium: 2025
- Dallara Award for Best Overtaking Manoeuvre: 2024
- Confartigianato Motori Rising Star: 2024
- Automobile Club d’Italia Volante d’Argento (lit. ’Silver Steering Wheel’): 2023
- Pirelli Ruotino d’Oro (lit. ’Golden Wheel’): 2023
- Autosprint Caschi d’Oro (lit. ’Golden Helmet’): 2022
- Automobile Club d’Italia Volante d’Oro (lit. ’Golden Steering Wheel’): 2022
- FIA Karting Rookie of the Year: 2020
Orders and special awards
- Italian National Olympic Committee
- Silver Medal of Athletic Valour: 2020, 2021
Net Worth
Kimi Antonelli is an Italian racing driver with a net worth of $18 million.
