As soon as Kimi Antonelli starts his maiden F1 season, he will be in a race against time to break records. The Italian will be one of the youngest additions to the grid since Max Verstappen debuted in 2015. Because of his early entry, the 2025 Mercedes man can make an eight-year-old record that currently Verstappen holds his own.
It’s the youngest Grand Prix winner record. Currently, Verstappen holds the record after winning the 2016 Spanish GP at 18 years and 226 days. Since he made this record there hasn’t been a rookie young enough to even contest it. However, that will change when Antonelli joins the grid aged 18 which he turned on August 25, earlier this year. In fact, he can make three such age-related records his own.
Antonelli can become the youngest-ever race winner, podium finisher, and race leader. However, as per the 2025 calendar he will have till the Japanese GP to break these records. The race in Suzuka will conclude on April 6th, 2025, and the next one in Bahrain between April 11-13 will make him ineligible.
However, the biggest factor will be the car. No matter how good the Italian prodigy is or is supposed to be, he will only be as good as the machinery underneath him. Mercedes has taken a huge step in the right direction in 2024 and even won three races. However, 2025 will bring a new challenge with McLaren and Red Bull still leading the field and Ferrari on the up as well.
Regardless, if Mercedes can produce a good car, it will up to Antonelli to showcase his talent and vindicate the team’s trust in him.
How Antonelli and Verstappen share a similar career graph
Antonelli made headlines as Mercedes’ interest grew in him gradually in the last few years. The German outfit sponsored the youngster and included him in the young driver’s program. They even made Antonelli skip F3 and made him step up to F2 for 2024. Now, just after one year in the feeder series, he will become a part of the premier class representing the Silver Arrows.
The reigning champion had a similar career trajectory as he made his way into F1. Verstappen spent just one year in a single-seaters in F3 before he was promoted to a racing seat in F1. The Dutchman wasn’t put in the front-running Red Bull team instantly but earned that seat a year later in 2016.
The soon-to-be Mercedes man might be able to match Verstappen’s extraordinary F1 career graph as well. At least that’s what former world champion Nico Rosberg believes to be the case. The German claimed Antonelli will be the next big thing in F1 similar to the Red Bull’s three-time champion.
