By- Viorica Bruni
The look is there and some of the Pro’s in F1 compering Andrea Antonelli’s driving style to Senna’s “RAW UNREFINED”- Ayrton Senna was a three-time Formula One World Champion, known for his aggressive driving style and fierce competitive nature.
Antonelli’s dominance and rapid rise from F4 to F1 seems amazing, plus being the first driver to score points in his first 3 F1 GPs since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 assures Mercedes and fans that He is here to stay!
Mercedes team partner WhatsApp released on Netflix ‘The Seat’ in May, a 45-minute documentary charting the previous year of the Italian’s life as he geared up for his promotion to F1.
“Selecting Kimi as our race driver for 2025 was, as ‘The Seat’ documents, a big decision,” said Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff, who was captured in the trailer informing Antonelli of the choice to promote him.
Fast and furious Kimi Antonelli crashed during his first Formula 1 FP1 session at Monza, hitting the barrier at Parabolica. The crash resulted in a 52G impact, marking a significant incident in his debut outing.
Toto Wolff on his conversion with Antonelli before getting in the car:“I told him to enjoy it”. I think he has a lot of natural ability but he must not forget that this is the best job in the world.“I said to him also to take the pressure off – we live in our microbubble here, nobody’s interested in FP1 anyway. Whatever happens, happens, and just get on with things. And I told him the same after the session.”
So far, Kimi Antonelli has competed in six Formula 1 races and has a total of 48 points in the Drivers’ Championship. He currently sits in sixth place in the standings.
The next Formula 1 Grand Prix for Antonelli’s team, Mercedes, is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, on May 18th ,2025. The race will be the second round of the 2025 F1 season.
Interesting is that Kimi Antonelli is still finishing his high school studies. He is in his final year and completing them online through ITCS Gaetano Salvemini School.
18 years old Antonelli has passed his driver’s test and obtained a driver’s license in January 2025, shortly before making his Formula 1 debut with Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli’s reported salary is $2 million and his contract with Mercedes initially covers the 2025 F1 season.
Despite the initial one-year deal, “Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, has confirmed that the contract includes options for a longer-term commitment – given his history with the Mercedes Junior Team and the team’s investment in his career.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli decides to use number 12 to race as Ayrton Senna did, and talks about the One of a Kind F1 Driver that inspired him “He’s, my idol. I didn’t get to see him racing with my own eyes during my life, but I’ve seen videos and through that, I could understand how special he was. That’s why he’s my role model. He always got the best out of what he was doing, trying to learn as much as possible so through those videos, he’s become my inspiration”.
Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna was killed on May 1 after his car crashed into a concrete barrier while he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Imola Circuit in Italy. Mechanical failure was the cause of the crash, as post-crash analysis found that Senna’s steering column had snapped around the time that his car was about to round the Tamburello corner.
F1 remains the most dominant in Motorsport industry because its cutting-edge technology, high-speed racing, skilled drivers, and unique competitive landscape.
Most impactful quote about Formula 1 drivers is by Ayrton Senna: “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are not a racing driver.”
The Show Must Go On – F1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli is The One to Watch!
Forza Antonelli!
