Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, known commonly as Kimi, became the youngest driver on the 2025 F1 grid, partnering George Russell at Mercedes.

Antonelli’s impressive junior career convinced Mercedes boss Toto Wolff of his talent, the young Italian having won multiple junior karting and racing championships. He became a member of the Mercedes junior team in 2019.

2022 saw Antonelli take the championship in both Italian and ADAC F4, and 2023 the top spot in the Formula Regional Middle East and European series.

In 2024, he partnered current Haas driver Oliver Bearman in F2 with Prema, having made the jump directly from FRECA to one step below the top tier of single-seater racing. He finished sixth with two race wins.

He made his first F1 session outing in Monza that same year, and impressed many with his pace before he crashed. Despite concern he might not yet be ready for F1, Wolff remained confident in the young driver and he was announced as Russell’s team-mate for the upcoming 2025 season that same weekend - replacing Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton in its driver line-up.