# Andrea Kimi Antonelli
**Andrea Kimi Antonelli** (born 2006 in Bologna, Italy) is an Italian racing driver who competes in Formula 1 for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, for whom he has raced since 2025, taking [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.edgepedia.org/lewis-hamilton)'s seat alongside George Russell[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [2](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-why-mercedes-chose-to-take-a-risk-and-sign-18-year-old-antonelli.1nnoblflRMxeiRZQCUFT30). Known by his middle name, he debuted at 18 as the third-youngest starter in the sport's history, and in 2026 he leads the World Drivers' Championship with eight wins, six pole positions, and 340 points after 17 rounds[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [3](https://gpstats.racing/en/driver/andrea-kimi-antonelli).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006, Bologna, Italy; son of sportscar racer Marco Antonelli[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) |
| F1 debut | 2025, Mercedes, aged 18, replacing Lewis Hamilton; third-youngest starter in F1 history[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [3](https://gpstats.racing/en/driver/andrea-kimi-antonelli) |
| First win | 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest Grand Prix winner in history[4](https://apnews.com/article/b327c1053d98616bf04dd1874109239d) |
| Records | Youngest pole-sitter in F1 history (China 2026, beating Sebastian Vettel's 2008 mark)[5](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/andrea-kimi-antonelli/) |
| 2026 season | 8 wins, 6 poles, 14 Grand Prix podiums, 340 points, championship leader after 17 rounds[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) |
| Career totals | 41 Grands Prix, 490 points, 8 wins, 17 podiums, 6 poles[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) |
| Junior career | Italian F4 and ADAC F4 champion 2022; Formula Regional European champion 2023[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [6](https://www.formel3guide.com/images/ergebnisse/2023/2023-zandvoort-r2b.pdf) |
## Junior career
Antonelli's karting career produced a large number of national and international titles. Competing in OK-Junior during 2019, Antonelli took titles in the WSK Euro Series and the WSK Super Master Series, came runner-up in the FIA Karting European Championship, and ended the World Championship in fifth place.[3](https://gpstats.racing/en/driver/andrea-kimi-antonelli) He then won back-to-back CIK-FIA Karting European Champion titles in 2020 and 2021[7](https://www.mercedes-benz.com.au/passengercars/brand/mercedes-me-magazine/performance/articles/meet-f1-star-andrea-kimi-antonelli-mercedes-amg-f1-petronas-team.html).
Mercedes first noticed him on the karting scene when he was 11, and in April 2019 he joined the Mercedes junior program[2](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-why-mercedes-chose-to-take-a-risk-and-sign-18-year-old-antonelli.1nnoblflRMxeiRZQCUFT30) • [8](https://www.kimiantonelli.online/timeline). He made his car racing debut at 15 and won both the Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 championships with Prema in 2022, taking a record thirteen wins in Italian F4[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [8](https://www.kimiantonelli.online/timeline). In 2023 he moved up to Formula Regional, winning both the Middle East and European titles; a victory in the second race at Zandvoort sealed the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [6](https://www.formel3guide.com/images/ergebnisse/2023/2023-zandvoort-r2b.pdf).
Most observers expected Formula 3 next, but Mercedes decided that promotion straight to Formula 2 with Prema in 2024 would better serve his development[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli). His mid-season there proved decisive for his career: a Sprint victory in the rain at Silverstone was followed by a maiden Feature race win at the [Hungaroring](https://www.edgepedia.org/hungaroring), and at Spa-Francorchamps he made a wet-weather move on [Franco Colapinto](https://www.edgepedia.org/franco-colapinto) into Eau Rouge that drew wide attention[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli).
## Signing with Mercedes
When Hamilton announced he would leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, a seat opened alongside George Russell[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli). Mercedes team principal [Toto Wolff](https://www.edgepedia.org/toto-wolff) chose the 17-year-old Antonelli, a decision the team itself described as a risk[2](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-why-mercedes-chose-to-take-a-risk-and-sign-18-year-old-antonelli.1nnoblflRMxeiRZQCUFT30). Shortly after Antonelli's 18th birthday, the team announced at the [Italian Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-grand-prix) that the home favorite would replace the seven-time world champion[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli).
## 2025 rookie season
Antonelli's debut season with Mercedes brought three podiums and 150 points, finishing seventh in the World Drivers' Championship over 24 Grand Prix entries[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [9](https://f1dailybrief.com/drivers/antonelli/seasons/2025). His first podium came at the [Canadian Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-grand-prix), where a third-place finish made him, at 18 years and 294 days old, the third-youngest driver to stand on an F1 podium[10](https://beths.bexley.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/December-2025-Edition.pdf).
The season was uneven. He retired from the [Emilia-Romagna](https://www.edgepedia.org/emilia-romagna), Spanish, Austrian, and British Grands Prix, and finished 18th in Monaco, though strong late-season results included second in Brazil and third in Las Vegas[11](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/drivers/ANDANT01/andrea-kimi-antonelli). Against Russell, the average one-lap qualifying delta of 0.293 seconds was the largest gap between Mercedes teammates since Rosberg and Schumacher in 2011[12](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/in-numbers-how-russell-vs-antonelli-compares-to-the-mercedes-intra-team-battles-of-old.4jREvE7LepJVmp2BQnfE85.4jREvE7LepJVmp2BQnfE85). Antonelli himself suspected that his aggressive driving style had exacerbated the team's technical struggles during the European leg of the season[13](https://www.f1technical.net/news/26525).
## 2026 season and title challenge
The 2026 season, run under new technical regulations with the [Mercedes W17](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercedes-w17), changed the picture. Antonelli took his first Grand Prix win at the [Chinese Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-grand-prix) in March, pulling clear of Russell and the two Ferraris to become the second-youngest race winner in Formula 1 history, and a day earlier he had become the youngest pole-sitter in the sport's history, beating [Sebastian Vettel](https://www.edgepedia.org/sebastian-vettel)'s 2008 record[4](https://apnews.com/article/b327c1053d98616bf04dd1874109239d) • [5](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/andrea-kimi-antonelli/).
Further wins followed through the year. He won the [Monaco Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/monaco-grand-prix), then took his sixth win of the season and career at the [Belgian Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/belgian-grand-prix) at Spa-Francorchamps, where he started from pole, regained the lead from [Charles Leclerc](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-leclerc) with 10 laps remaining, and cruised home while Russell retired[14](https://apnews.com/article/5aca7d6298b9e2ec265d0d9b662ccb8b). In September he won the first Formula 1 race held on the new Madring circuit at the Spanish Grand Prix, driving the number 12 Mercedes W17[15](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/deporte/antonelli-gana-primera-carrera-f1-disputada-madringalonso-sainz-sufren-rifirrafe-f202609.html).
After 17 rounds he led the championship with 340 points, 8 wins, 6 poles, and 14 podiums, with Russell second on 238 points and three wins[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [16](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/11/las-cuentas-de-kimi-antonelli-para-convertirse-en-el-campeon-del-mundo-mas-joven-de-la-historia-de-la-formula-1-cadena-ser/). A third place at the [Singapore Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/singapore-grand-prix) left him within reach of the title with seven rounds still to run[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli) • [17](https://www.pitlanedaily.com/drivers/compare/andrea-kimi-antonelli-vs-george-russell/2026). Whenever he closes it out, he will become the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history by a margin of more than three years over the current youngest, Sebastian Vettel, and the first Italian champion since [Alberto Ascari](https://www.edgepedia.org/alberto-ascari) in 1953[18](https://elpais.com/deportes/formula-1/2026-10-10/russell-se-diluye-verstappen-se-agiganta.html).
## Driving style
In 2025 he acknowledged that the same aggressiveness could aggravate the car's technical weaknesses[13](https://www.f1technical.net/news/26525). His wet-weather record dates back to his junior career, where he repeatedly dominated in the rain[1](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli).
## References
1. [Kimi Antonelli, F1 driver profile and statistics, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/drivers/kimi-antonelli)
2. [ANALYSIS: Why Mercedes chose to take a risk and sign 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-why-mercedes-chose-to-take-a-risk-and-sign-18-year-old-antonelli.1nnoblflRMxeiRZQCUFT30)
3. [Andrea Kimi Antonelli, GPStats](https://gpstats.racing/en/driver/andrea-kimi-antonelli)
4. [Kimi Antonelli takes his first F1 win with victory in China, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b327c1053d98616bf04dd1874109239d)
5. [Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Motor Sport Magazine database](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/andrea-kimi-antonelli/)
6. [Zandvoort: Andrea Kimi Antonelli crowned Formula Regional European champion, formel3guide](https://www.formel3guide.com/images/ergebnisse/2023/2023-zandvoort-r2b.pdf)
7. [Meet rising F1 star Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes-Benz](https://www.mercedes-benz.com.au/passengercars/brand/mercedes-me-magazine/performance/articles/meet-f1-star-andrea-kimi-antonelli-mercedes-amg-f1-petronas-team.html)
8. [Kimi Antonelli career timeline, Kimi Antonelli Hub](https://www.kimiantonelli.online/timeline)
9. [Andrea Kimi Antonelli 2025 F1 stats, F1 Daily Brief](https://f1dailybrief.com/drivers/antonelli/seasons/2025)
10. [School magazine, December 2025 edition (F1 season review)](https://beths.bexley.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/December-2025-Edition.pdf)
11. [2025 Kimi Antonelli driver standings, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/drivers/ANDANT01/andrea-kimi-antonelli)
12. [IN NUMBERS: How Russell vs Antonelli compares to the Mercedes intra-team battles of old, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/in-numbers-how-russell-vs-antonelli-compares-to-the-mercedes-intra-team-battles-of-old.4jREvE7LepJVmp2BQnfE85.4jREvE7LepJVmp2BQnfE85)
13. [Antonelli suspects his aggressive driving style exacerbated Mercedes' technical struggles, F1technical.net](https://www.f1technical.net/news/26525)
14. [Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix for a big F1 title boost, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5aca7d6298b9e2ec265d0d9b662ccb8b)
15. [Antonelli gana la primera carrera de F1 disputada en el Madring, HuffPost España](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/deporte/antonelli-gana-primera-carrera-f1-disputada-madringalonso-sainz-sufren-rifirrafe-f202609.html)
16. [Las cuentas de Kimi Antonelli para convertirse en el campeón del mundo más joven, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/11/las-cuentas-de-kimi-antonelli-para-convertirse-en-el-campeon-del-mundo-mas-joven-de-la-historia-de-la-formula-1-cadena-ser/)
17. [Andrea Kimi Antonelli vs George Russell, 2026 head-to-head, Pit Lane Daily](https://www.pitlanedaily.com/drivers/compare/andrea-kimi-antonelli-vs-george-russell/2026)
18. [Russell se diluye; Verstappen se agiganta, El País](https://elpais.com/deportes/formula-1/2026-10-10/russell-se-diluye-verstappen-se-agiganta.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cycling and motor sport › Formula One and Grand Prix motor racing › Formula One drivers, teams, and records › Formula One drivers, 2000–present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license