With new F1 regulations this year, the Mercedes team has emerged as a favourite after testing, with Kimi Antonelli as one of the two racers who will drive the Silver Arrows in the 2026 season.
Recognized for his skills at an early age, Antonelli has risen through the ranks as a long-term Mercedes prospect from the age of 12. From multiple karting championships in Europe to open-wheel championship titles, Antonelli was promoted quickly to the F1 team and has seen some success. Will 2026 be his breakthrough year in F1?
1. From a racing family
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes during 2026 pre-season testing
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Year: 2006
Son of sportscar racer Marco Antonelli, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006 in Bologna, Italy.
2. Early success
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Years: 2014–2018
Where Antonelli went, he won, capturing national and international kart races in Italy as well as in Europe, putting him on the radar of several teams… and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
3. Mercedes Junior Team signing
Andrea Kimi Antonelli inside the Mercedes AMG F1 motorhome
Photo by: Franco Nugnes
Year: 2018
Antonelli was signed to the Mercedes Junior Team in 2018, with his victory in the WSK Champions Cup just one of several headline results from another foundational year in karting.
4. Karting champion
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Year: 2020
Only six years ago, Antonelli was in karts, dominating with wins in the WSK European Championship, Italian Championship, and Euro Series, at 13 years old.
5. More karting success
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Junior Programme
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Year: 2021
Following his European win the year before, Antonelli was in contention to become the youngest-ever KZ world champion but finished well out of the top 10 and wasn’t able to match the record set by Max Verstappen in 2013.
6. Transition to single-seaters
#3 Italy: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Formula 4
Photo by: SRO
Year: 2021-2022
Showing tremendous speed in his career so far, Antonelli naturally graduated to single-seater racing, entering Italian F4 with the Prema team. His supporters didn’t have to wait long to see results: he scored points on his debut weekend.
7. Italian F4 champion
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Prema Powerteam
Year: 2022
A year later, Antonelli claimed the Italian F4 title in dominant fashion with 13 wins across the season. That’s not all: he contested multiple other series that year, winning 45% of the races he entered and finishing on the podium 64% of the time in Formula 4 machinery.
8. Rapid rise through Formula Regional
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Formula Regional Middle East Championship
Year: 2023
One year, two championships: Antonelli won the Formula Regional European Championship in his rookie season, as well as the Formula Middle East Championship, scoring multiple wins in dominant fashion.
9. Skipping Formula 3
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Prema Powerteam
Year: 2024
With Toto Wolff’s continued backing, Antonelli went straight to Formula 2, as Oliver Bearman’s team-mate. Antonelli scored a point on his debut and, after a few challenging races, took his first win at Silverstone in mixed conditions.
10. Formula 2 pressure
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Prema Powerteam
Year: 2024
Because of his career’s upward trajectory, Antonelli’s rookie F2 season put the young Italian under intense scrutiny. Really, Mercedes’ big bet was just starting to pay off: two wins and three podiums in the 2024 Formula 2 season meant Antonelli’s speed against more experienced drivers and potential for improvement could no longer be denied.
11. Mercedes F1 test appearances
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes F1 W15 after Free Practice incident
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Year: 2024
Antonelli already had an F1 test outing with Mercedes under his belt by April 2024, and the team had him driving the W15 in multiple test sessions.
12. Super Licence eligibility
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Year: 2024
The timing of Antonelli’s progression into F1 was closely aligned with his 18th birthday, as the minimum age to hold an FIA superlicence, a requirement for racing in the world championship.
13. Confirmed as Mercedes F1 driver
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Year: 2025
For the final year of the modern ground-effect era, Antonelli was announced as Mercedes Formula 1 race driver, replacing Lewis Hamilton and partnering with George Russell.
Results speak for themselves, with Antonelli becoming the second-youngest points scorer in F1 history.
14. Developing talent
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
Year: 2026
As one of the youngest drivers in Mercedes’ modern F1 history, as well as one who hasn’t yet reached his full potential, Antonelli’s career is well positioned to take another step forward this year.
15. Defining F1’s new generation
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Year: 2026
Along with Russell, Antonelli is central to post-Hamilton Mercedes. The 2026 rules reset could parallel Mercedes’ last period of dominance, one sparked just after a major rules shake-up.
Antonelli is still looking for his first Formula 1 win – could 2026 be the year he reaches the top step of the podium?
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