Kimi Antonelli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kimi Antonelli
Antonelli at the 2025 United States Grand Prix
Born	Andrea Kimi Antonelli (2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 19) Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Parent(s)	Marco Antonelli (father)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Car number	12
Entries	5 (5 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	38
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2025 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2026 Chinese Grand Prix
Last win	2026 Japanese Grand Prix
Last entry	2026 Japanese Grand Prix
2025 position	7th (150 pts)
Championship titles
FR European FR Middle East ADAC F4 Italian F4
Medal record Formula racing Representing  Italy FIA Motorsport Games Gold 2022 Le Castellet F4 Cup
Signature

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (born 25 August 2006) is a talented Italian racing driver. He currently competes in Formula One for the Mercedes team. Kimi has already won two Formula One Grands Prix in his career.

Born in Bologna, Italy, Kimi is the son of sportscar racing driver Marco Antonelli. Kimi had a very successful karting career, winning the European Championship twice in 2020 and 2021. He then moved up to junior racing series. In 2022, he won titles in Italian and ADAC F4. He also won a gold medal for Italy at the FIA Motorsport Games.

Kimi continued his winning streak in 2023, claiming both the Formula Regional European and Middle East Championships. In 2024, he raced in FIA Formula 2, where he won two races and finished sixth overall.

Kimi joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019. He made his big move to the Mercedes Formula One team in 2025. He replaced Lewis Hamilton and became teammates with George Russell. At 18 years old, he became one of the youngest drivers in Formula One history. Kimi achieved his first podium finish in his rookie season at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. He also became the youngest driver to set a fastest lap. In 2026, he won the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. He became the youngest-ever polesitter and the youngest World Drivers' Championship leader. Kimi is set to stay with Mercedes until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Early Life and Family

Kimi's father, Marco Antonelli, is a sportscar racing driver and team owner.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born on August 25, 2006, in Bologna, Italy. His father, Marco Antonelli, is a professional sportscar racing driver and owns a racing team called AKM Motorsport. Kimi's mother, Veronica Antonelli, has also worked in motorsport since 1997. He has a younger sister named Maggie.

Kimi's middle name, Kimi, was suggested by a family friend. It was not directly inspired by the famous Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen. Kimi studied international relations and marketing in school. He also learned to speak English during his race weekends. His father first wanted him to play association football, but Kimi showed a greater passion for motorsport.

Racing Journey: From Karts to Formula One

Karting Adventures (2014–2021)

Kimi started kart racing when he was just seven years old. He quickly won many championships in different karting categories. In 2014, he was discovered by Giovanni Minardi and joined Minardi Management. He won the Trofeo Easykart Italia in 2015.

In 2018, Kimi joined the Mercedes Junior Team. He continued to win many karting events, including the WSK Champions Cup. In 2019, he moved to the OK-Junior category, which is for drivers under 15. He won several major series that year. Kimi finished second in the European Championship and fifth in the World Championship.

In 2020, Kimi moved up to the senior OK kart class at just 13 years old. He won the European Championship in his first year in the senior class. He also won the WSK Euro Series and the Italian Championship. During a race in 2020, Kimi suffered a leg injury. For his great performance in 2020, he was named the FIA Karting Rookie of the Year.

In 2021, Kimi raced in the KZ gearbox class and successfully defended his European Championship in the OK class. He won five out of eight races that season. Experts believed his karting career showed he was destined to be a champion.

Dominating Junior Races: Formula 4 and Formula Regional

Kimi debuted in the 2021 Italian F4 Championship at the Red Bull Ring.

Kimi made his debut in junior formulae racing in the 2021 Italian F4 Championship when he was 15. He quickly showed his talent, scoring points and achieving three podium finishes in his first few races. He finished tenth overall despite missing most of the season.

Kimi dominated Italian F4 in 2022 with a record thirteen victories.

In 2022, Kimi competed in the F4 UAE Championship and won two races. He then dominated the Italian F4 Championship with 13 victories, setting a new record. He also won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship. Kimi represented Italy at the FIA Motorsport Games and won a gold medal in the Formula 4 Cup, even while driving with a wrist injury.

Kimi won the ADAC F4 title and a gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games.

In 2023, Kimi moved to the Formula Regional series. He won the Formula Regional Middle East Championship with three wins and seven podiums. He then won the Formula Regional European Championship in his first season. He secured five wins and 11 podiums, showing incredible skill.

Kimi won the Formula Regional European Championship in his rookie season with Prema.

Stepping Up to Formula 2 (2024)

In 2024, Kimi skipped FIA Formula 3 Championship and went straight to FIA Formula 2 with Prema Racing. This was a big step, and he faced new challenges with the car.

Kimi raced in FIA Formula 2 with Prema in 2024.

Kimi secured his first F2 victory at the Silverstone round in a challenging, rain-affected race. He then won his first feature race in Budapest. Kimi finished his rookie F2 season in sixth place overall, with two wins and three podiums.

Kimi took his first F2 victory at the rain-affected Silverstone race.

Formula One Dream Comes True (2025-2026)

Joining Mercedes in 2025

Kimi joined the Mercedes Junior Team in April 2019. He completed several private tests with the Mercedes Formula One cars in 2024. He also made his official free practice debut at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Kimi debuted in Formula One with Mercedes in 2025, aged 18.

In 2025, Kimi officially signed with Mercedes for Formula One, replacing Lewis Hamilton. He became teammates with George Russell. Kimi made his Formula One debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, becoming the third-youngest driver in F1 history at 18 years old. He finished fourth in his first race, scoring points and becoming the second-youngest points-scorer ever.

Kimi retired from his local 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with a throttle issue.

Kimi continued to impress in his rookie season. He finished sixth in the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. In Japan, he became the youngest driver to lead a race and set a fastest lap in Formula One history. He achieved his first podium finish at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, finishing third. Kimi ended his rookie season in seventh place overall with 150 points, becoming the highest-scoring rookie in Formula One history.

Kimi achieved three podiums in 2025 and became the highest-scoring rookie in Formula One history.

Making History in 2026

Kimi was confirmed to stay with Mercedes for the 2026 season. Mercedes started the 2026 season strongly with new car regulations.

Kimi became the youngest polesitter and won his first race at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix in 2026.

At the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Kimi made history by becoming the youngest polesitter in Formula One. He then went on to win the race, making him the second-youngest Grand Prix winner and the first Italian winner in two decades. He also achieved a "hat-trick" (pole position, fastest lap, and race win). Kimi continued his success at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, where he won again and became the youngest World Drivers' Championship leader.

Beyond the Track

Other Racing and Projects

In May 2023, Kimi also tried sportscar racing with his father's team. He won his very first race in the Italian GT3 Championship.

Kimi also appeared in a movie called Italian Race (2016). He co-founded a karting team with his father in 2023, where he helps coach young drivers. A documentary film about his journey to Mercedes in Formula One, called The Seat, was released in 2025.

Personal Interests and Fun Facts

Kimi chose the number 12 for his Formula One car. He was inspired by his idol, the legendary driver Ayrton Senna. He passed his driving test just six weeks before his Formula One debut! Kimi continued to study online for his high school exams during his rookie season.

Mercedes-AMG gave Kimi a special car, a GT 63 S. He later received a limited-edition GT 63 PRO in January 2026 and had a minor incident with it near his home, but he was unharmed. Kimi loves association football and basketball, supporting his local teams Bologna and Virtus Bologna. He is also an ambassador for Italian sport for San Marino. Kimi's racing helmet features the national colours of Italy: blue, green, white, and red. He hopes to achieve as much success as other famous Italian sportsmen like Jannik Sinner and Valentino Rossi.

Awards and Recognitions

• Confartigianato Motori Pilota in Ascesa (Driver on the Rise): 2024
• Autosprint Caschi d'Oro (Golden Helmet): 2022
• Automobile Club d'Italia Volante d'Oro (Golden Steering Wheel): 2022
• Automobile Club d'Italia Volante d'Argento (Silver Steering Wheel): 2023
• Dallara Award for Best Overtaking Manoeuvre: 2024
• FIA Karting Rookie of the Year: 2020

Racing Records

Racing career summary

^† As Antonelli was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
* Season still in progress.

Formula One Records

Kimi Antonelli holds these impressive Formula One records:

See also

In Spanish: Andrea Kimi Antonelli para niños