Who is young Mercedes star Andrea Kimi Antonelli?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been the talk of the Formula 1 world for months now. The young Italian is a member of the Mercedes Junior Team, and his arrival in Formula 1 appears imminent. Rumours surrounding Antonelli suggest he could be a Mercedes driver as early as next year. Who is the 17-year-old, how has he risen up the ranks so quickly, and what are his F1 options?

Andrea 'Kimi' Antonelli is an Italian racing driver born on August 25 2006 in Bologna. His father, Marco Antonelli, is also a racing driver who owns the AKM Motorsport outfit that races in the Italian F4 Championship. Marco gave his son the middle name Kimi after 2007 F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, as he was an avid supporter of the Finn.

Kimi Antonelli started karting at seven and tasted success in a wide range of categories throughout his karting career. Notably, Antonelli was crowned the CIK-FIA twice in 2020 and 2021. Previous winners include Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel amongst others. In 2021, at the age of just 15, Antonelli debuted in Italian F4 for Prema. He finished 10th in the standings, despite missing the majority of the season. In 2022, Antonelli won 13 Italian F4 races, a new record, and clinched the title before the end of the season. Antonelli also won the ADAC Formula 4 championship in the same year. He then triumphed in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in 2023.

Antonelli has since bypassed FIA Formula 3 and jumped straight into FIA Formula 2 with his Prema team for 2024. The Italian starlet is yet to win a race or finish on the podium in his six F2 starts. Despite this, he has impressed the paddock with his performances. Alongside his Formula 2 duties, Antonelli is part of a special acclimatisation program by Mercedes. The 17-year-old has been part of the Mercedes Junior Team since 2019 and has already tested a 2021 Mercedes in Austria and a 2022 Mercedes in Imola, where he set some impressive lap times. Several more tests are planned across the remainder of this year, as Mercedes plans to rack up his milage in F1 machinery to prepare him for the sport.

Kimi Antonelli is widely considered by the F1 paddock as one of, if not the most exciting up and coming talent around. The Italian rising star will certainly be an F1 driver in the coming years. Might the 17-year-old be a Formula 1 driver as early as next year? Earlier this season, the FIA received a request to grant Antonelli a super license.

Antonelli already has the required points to be eligible for a seat but is yet to be old enough. It is believed that Williams made this request. After poor performances from Logan Sargeant, Williams appeared to be eyeing Antonelli to replace him. Due to their close affiliation with Mercedes, this could be a sensible choice, as Antonelli could garner some F1 experience before being thrust into a top seat.

Antonelli was running in F4 just two years ago and has very limited experience in F1 machinery as it stands. He hasn't had time to get his feet under the table in F2 yet and currently sits sixth in the standings, 32 points behind leader Paul Aron. Despite this, Mercedes are confident in the young man's talents, and may still succeed Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for 2025. As long as Antonelli is prepared and guided into F1 properly, Mercedes has an incredible talent in their hands. We could see Antonelli in Formula 1 next year. Most likely at Williams or Mercedes.

Under the FIA's new rulings, Antonelli would now be eligible for a super licence. Since Max Verstappen's debut in Formula 1, the FIA had a rule in place which meant no one under the age of 18 could get a super licence, which is needed to race in Formula 1. However, on the 11th June 2024, the sport's governing body made an amendment to the International Sporting Code which introduced a new rule regarding Super Licences.

"At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a Super Licence at the age of 17 years old." This means that whilst the minimum age rule is still in place, the FIA may now allow exemptions to this, depending on how a driver has done in previous series. Because of this, could we see Antonelli driving for Williams or Mercedes in the very near future?