Andrea Kimi Antonelli: a champion destined to revolutionize F1 from the day of his baptism

BarcelonaA 73-year-old wound has been closed. Italy celebrates having its first Formula 1 champion since 1953, when Milanese Alberto Ascari won his second world championship aboard a Ferrari. Since then, no Italian had reigned in Formula 1. Until today. The young Andrea Kimi Antonelli (2006) has been proclaimed world champion and has broken a lot of records, as he has also become the youngest champion of all time. Until now, the record for precocity was held by the German Sebastian Vettel, who achieved it in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days. Antonelli is 20 years and three months old, that is, three years younger.

It had been known for weeks that Antonelli would be champion, as he has tyrannized the World Championship in just his second season. During the first Grands Prix of the season, when he began breaking records, it was thought that sooner or later he would slow down. That was not the case. It was only a matter of time to hear Il Canto degli Italiani, the Italian anthem, to celebrate the triumph of this young man from Bologna destined to shine ever since he was christened with this "Kimi" that refers to the Finn Kimi Räikkönen, Formula 1 champion in 2007, a year after Andrea's birth. His father, a great motor racing lover, christened him with the name of the best driver of that era. Now it is his son who is in charge.

A success celebrated with passion in a land where motorsport is widely followed. The country where you find the Monza or Imola circuits. The land where so many famous brands have been founded. And especially, the country of Ferrari, a brand that for many Italians is much more important than football teams. But Antonelli has been proclaimed champion with a Mercedes and not with a Ferrari, despite having grown up thirty minutes from the headquarters of this team in Maranello. Ferrari fans wonder how their team could have let this young driver get away. In fact, when a few months ago Antonelli became the first Italian to win the Monza Grand Prix in sixty years, the track was invaded by fans dressed in red, the color of Ferrari, celebrating that a Mercedes had won. It was a fantastic triumph, that one, as he started from the 19th position after a bad day of training. And he kept moving up until he became the first Italian to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

Born in Bologna on August 25, 2006, Andrea Kimi is the son of Marco, a pilot and manager of professional racing teams locally in Italy. At five years old, his son was already competing in karting, where at twelve he was discovered by a Mercedes scout. Andrea has explained that his father is his "greatest support." "He manages a Formula 4 team and makes great efforts to be by my side without abandoning his job. When I was a child, he didn't want me to be a driver, since it is very difficult to build a career. A lot of money is needed and he suffered through that in his youth. He was a driver and due to a lack of money he could not go any further. He didn't want me to live the same, but luckily Mercedes arrived," he stated. The German brand bet heavily on this boy, who began winning European titles very quickly, and jumped to Formula 3 when he was still a minor. In 2024, he was knocking on the door of Formula 2, where he was already breaking records for precocity. And Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, decided to bet it all: he would occupy the seat in Formula 1 being left by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was moving to Ferrari. Many people considered it very risky, because Andrea was just eighteen years old. On the day of his debut, he was already fourth. And in his first season, he stepped onto the podium three times. The first season was a success. The second has been a revolution.

This 2026, Andrea Kimi has broken all the records. The pole position by the youngest driver, scoring more wins before turning twenty, being the youngest leader of the championship and now, the youngest champion. "He keeps his feet on the ground because he has his family by his side. When he got up from the table at the team's motorhome recently, his mother called his attention: 'Kimi, put that chair back in place,'" explained former Aston Martin team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, in a podcast. In an interview with the newspaper La Repubblica, the young driver defined himself as "a fairly normal boy," who is still studying without knowing how he will be able to continue doing so, who follows the results of Bologna football club and considers himself a believer. A young man who enjoys the benefits of fame, such as being invited to watch NBA games or meeting celebrities. But who seems very focused: his passion is driving.

A young man who as a child dreamed of triumphing with Ferrari. But he has done it with Mercedes, since in 2017, the Italian team missed a golden opportunity to sign him. The team manager at the time, Mauricio Arrivabene, negotiated with the family, but decided not to make the bet, as Ferrari did not then have a structure designed for an eleven-year-old boy. Mercedes, on the other hand, did take the step. And they got it right. "All of this is a surprise. That someone could grow so much in such a few months. His ability to absorb information, process it and execute it is excellent. It is the best I have seen from a young driver in terms of such a fast growth process. We knew his talent, but he has surprised us, a different young man has appeared before us, even better than we thought," Wolff said this season. "He has dominated the races where our car ran well, but also those in which we were not favorites. His growth is impressive," adds the godfather of a young man who has revolutionized Formula 1 in a few months. When his father baptized him with the name Kimi, he surely did not expect that that child would reign in Formula 1.