“I’m a racing driver because, first of all, I got the passion from my dad…” These were the exact words of Andrea Kimi Antonelli when asked about his inspiration to pursue a career in motorsport. It’s no surprise considering his father, Marco Antonelli, has been a driving force in his life both on and off the track.
Born in Bologna, Italy, Marco Antonelli is a racing driver himself, having mainly raced in the Touring Car and GT racing categories. The 59-year-old’s journey into racing began in 1986, particularly in the Super Touring and DTM series, as part of the Alfa Romeo test team.
Throughout his career, Marco competed in various series and championships. He started in the Italian Superturismo Championship in the early 1990s, racing with teams like AB Motorsport and Tecnica Racing Team. His career took him to international competitions, including the European Touring Car Championship in 2002 with AGS Motorsport and the GT4 European Cup in 2010 with StarCars.
Marco Antonelli is the only Am competitor to stay out of trouble and wins his class despite a one-minute penalty. Giuseppe Fascicolo and Massimo Ciglia overcome a spin to grab second place for Imperiale Racing ahead of Ray Acosta and Ozz Negri Jr.
ACI Sport | #CIGT pic.twitter.com/j7ufgrbhD3
— Vincent Bruins (@VincentJBruins) September 30, 2023
Marco’s influence in the world of motorsport extends beyond his racing career. He is also the owner of AKM Motorsport, a team competing in the Italian F4 Championship. Established in 2020, AKM Motorsport is a collaboration between Marco’s Antonelli Motorsport and Dino Chiesa’s Kart Republic. While primarily focusing on the Italian Formula 4 championship, the team has also participated in the F4 United Arab Emirates series.
Interestingly, Andrea Kimi Antonelli shares his middle name with the first name of the 2007 F1 champion, Kimi Raikkonen. This reflects Marco’s admiration for Raikkonen, a driver he has always admired.
Why is Marco Antonelli against his son joining F1 in 2024?
Kimi Antonelli is already being hailed as the next Max Verstappen of Formula 1. His exceptional record in karting, Formula 4, and Formula Regional Championships has got a lot of spotlight on him. The unconventional approach by Mercedes further accelerated the hype train by promoting him directly to Formula 2, bypassing Formula 3 entirely.
However, Marco Antonelli is not enthusiastic about his son making an early jump to F1. He believes Kimi should finish his F2 campaign. Marco recently expressed his concerns, stating:
“I would like him to complete the season in Formula 2. As a family, we are not used to leaving things halfway. Then Kimi in recent years, in other championships as well as in karting, has repeatedly shown that he is able to overturn difficult situations.”
A recent change in the International Sporting Code by the FIA, removing the 18-year age limit for an F1 Super License, has opened the door for Kimi Antonelli’s career to progress even faster.
Now, even 17-year-olds can enter the sport if deemed worthy by the FIA. This change could see Kimi joining Williams for the rest of the 2024 season to gain crucial experience before potentially replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.
| The FIA has updated its rules to now allow 17-year-olds to race in Formula 1 upon the request of Williams.
This would allow Mercedes Junior Kimi Antonelli to race in F1 as early as this year prior to turning 18 this August.
[@Motorsport] #F1 #F2 pic.twitter.com/rEixl3FjLg
— The Antonelli Post (@antonellipost) June 14, 2024
If Marco agrees to let Kimi join F1 in the current season, the Italian prodigy would likely take Logan Sargeant’s seat at Williams. This move would position him perfectly for a transition to Mercedes during the pre-season in 2025.
