Nationality: Italian
Birthday: 25 August 2006
Current team: Mercedes
Previous teams: None
Number: 12
Strengths: Racepace, building a gap to the car behind, calm mentality, wet weather
Weaknesses: Tyre management, wheel-to-wheel racing, inexperience
Strongest tracks: Miami, Netherlands, Belgium, Azerbaijan
Weakest tracks: Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Austria
(Based on junior series and early F1 data)
Statistics
Grand Prix wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest laps: 1
Podiums: 0
World Championships: 0
F1 teammate record H2H
Total Q record: 1-6
Total R record: 0-7
| Teammate | Q record | R record |
| Russell (2025) | 1-6 | 0-7 |
Pre-F1 championship results
6th in Formula 2 (2024)
Won Formula Regional Europe (2023)
Won Formula Regional Middle East (2023)
Won Italian F4 (2022)
Won ADAC F4 (2022)
Career analysis
Kimi Antonelli has been seen as the top prospect for entering Formula One since Max Verstappen in 2015. No other talent has been as hyped as the Italian youngster, so he was put straight into Mercedes.
This could either go right or wrong, but if Antonelli is as good as the analytics claim, it’s worth the shot. He dominated most of the junior series he took part in, the most impressive being his title win in the 2022 Italian F4 against a strong field of young drivers, as well as his regional titles in 2023.
Antonelli was a bit disappointing in Formula 2, but it was a strange season where cars were clearly not equal, so perhaps we shouldn’t put too much weight into it. He did manage two wins, one in a sprint and one in a feature, and he seemed quicker than teammate and fellow F1 graduate Oliver Bearman.
Antonelli is an excellent and consistent racer who can perform very well over a race distance. He has an incredible feel for the car with no major weaknesses except perhaps tyre management, which can easily be improved on. His biggest strength is maintaining and increasing gaps when he’s in front. In some ways, we see him as a prospect similar to young Sebastian Vettel, but perhaps more consistent.
No one expects Antonelli to beat George Russell throughout the 2025 season, but he is expected to show flashes in both races and quali sessions. We expect him to pick up a handful of podiums in his rookie year. Expecting a pole position or a Grand Prix win may still be too early unless the Mercedes W16 turns out to be a very strong contender.