2026 Championship Leader · Formula 1

Kimi Antonelli

The youngest polesitter in Formula 1 history, leading the World Championship in his second season. The official Antonelli collection: records, a maiden win in China, and a title fight still running.

Nationality
Italian
Born
25 August 2006 · Bologna, Italy
Team
Mercedes-AMG Petronas
Car number
12
Championships
0 (leads the 2026 standings)
Record
Youngest polesitter in F1 history
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli wearing his iconic black and teal Mercedes-AMG Petronas racing suit and cap alongside his race car.
2026 Championship Leader
2025 — Present
6
Grand Prix Wins
6
Pole Positions
12
Podium Finishes
369
Career Points

Who is Kimi Antonelli?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (born 25 August 2006) is an Italian Formula 1 driver for Mercedes and the leader of the 2026 World Drivers' Championship. He replaced Lewis Hamilton at the team in 2025, aged 18, and won the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix from pole as the youngest polesitter in the sport's history. He has six wins and twelve podiums from 35 starts.

Full name
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Nationality
Italian
F1 career
2025–present
Best known for
Youngest polesitter in F1 history

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 8 sources

Rider Profile

Kimi Antonelli: Full Biography

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is an Italian racing driver for Mercedes and the leader of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, having replaced Lewis Hamilton at the team in 2025 at the age of eighteen.

The Junior Record Antonelli signed for the Mercedes Junior Team in 2018 while still karting. He won the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles in the same season in 2022, then both the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European championships in 2023, before skipping Formula 3 entirely for Formula 2, where he finished sixth as a rookie.

A Rookie at Mercedes He finished fourth on debut in Australia in 2025 as the third-youngest starter in the sport’s history, took his first podium in Canada, and closed the year seventh with 150 points — more than any driver has scored in a first championship season.

The 2026 Season Antonelli became the youngest polesitter in Formula 1 history in China and won the race, the first Italian victor in two decades. Five consecutive wins followed through Monaco, where he scored a grand chelem, and he leads the championship after eleven rounds.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Kimi Antonelli

Chapter 01

Two Titles in One Season

Antonelli entered single-seaters in 2021 and finished tenth in the Italian F4 Championship. He returned the following year and won it with thirteen victories and fourteen poles from twenty races, taking the ADAC Formula 4 title in parallel with nine more wins, and adding gold at the FIA Motorsport Games. In 2023 he won the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European championships in the same calendar year, which persuaded Mercedes to move him straight to Formula 2.

Kimi Antonelli racing in F4 Germany 2022 at Spa (#12 Prema Racing) Prema · Italian and ADAC Formula 4 Photo: Kimi Antonelli racing in F4 Germany 2022 at Spa by Lukas Raich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · licence
Chapter 02

The Youngest Man in the Room

Replacing a seven-time World Champion at eighteen invited every comparison. Antonelli qualified sixteenth in Melbourne with floor damage and finished fourth, the highest-placed debutant since 2014, then became the youngest driver ever to lead a lap and set a fastest lap at Suzuka. The middle of the season was harder — four retirements between Imola and Silverstone — but third in Canada made him the third-youngest podium finisher in the sport, and 150 points remains the highest total any driver has scored in a first championship season.

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) after retiring from the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Mercedes W16 · a rookie season under scrutiny Photo: Kimi Antonelli after retiring from the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by Jen Ross / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · licence
Chapter 03

Six Wins and the Points Lead

The new power unit regulations put Mercedes at the front, and Antonelli converted. He took pole in China at 19 years and 202 days, the youngest in F1 history, and won by five seconds. Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco followed — five consecutive victories from a maiden win, more than any driver before him — with the Monaco weekend delivering pole, win, fastest lap and every lap led. A retirement in Barcelona and a car failure at Silverstone cost him points, but a win at Spa left him leading the championship after eleven rounds.

Kimi Antonelli celebrating with Mercedes team after 2026 Chinese GP Mercedes W17 · the 2026 title fight Photo: Kimi Antonelli celebrating with Mercedes team after 2026 Chinese GP by Liauzh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · licence
Career Timeline

Kimi Antonelli Career Timeline: 2006–Present

Born in Bologna

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is born on 25 August in Bologna, the son of sportscar driver and team owner Marco Antonelli.

Signed by Mercedes

Joins the Mercedes Junior Team as a karter, a deal made public in April 2019.

Junior formulae debut

Steps up to the Italian F4 Championship with Prema and finishes tenth with three podiums.

Double Formula 4 champion

Wins the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles in the same season, with twenty-two victories between them.

Two Formula Regional titles

Champion in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and then the Formula Regional European Championship.

Formula 2 and a Mercedes test seat

Skips Formula 3 for Formula 2 with Prema, finishing sixth with two wins while testing for Mercedes.

Formula 1 debut at 18

Replaces Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and finishes fourth in Australia as the third-youngest starter in F1 history.

First podium in Canada

Third in Montreal, the third-youngest podium finisher ever; he ends the year seventh with a record 150 points.

Maiden win in China

Becomes the youngest polesitter in F1 history, then the second-youngest winner and the first Italian to win a Grand Prix in twenty years.

Championship leader in Japan

A second consecutive win at Suzuka makes him the youngest driver ever to lead the World Drivers' Championship.

Grand chelem in Monaco

Pole, win, fastest lap and every lap led — the youngest grand chelem in F1 history, and a fifth win in a row.

Sprint winner at Silverstone

Wins the British Grand Prix sprint as the youngest sprint winner, before a late car failure ends his points run in the race.

By the Numbers

Kimi Antonelli F1 Career Record, Season by Season

Kimi Antonelli season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2025 Mercedes 0 0 3 150 7
2026 Mercedes 6 6 9 219 1

Career totals: 6 wins · 6 pole positions · 12 podiums · 369 points from 35 Grand Prix entries. Before Formula 1 he won the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles in 2022, the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European titles in 2023, and finished sixth in Formula 2 in 2024. The 2026 season is still in progress after eleven rounds; figures verified 28 July 2026.

Kimi Antonelli in his own words

In His Own Words
Racing for Mercedes is a big responsibility, but at the same time it's a great opportunity and a privilege.
Kimi Antonelli · on joining Mercedes · Formula1.com driver profile

Related Reads

News & Updates
Kimi Antonelli’s Historic Monza Win: From P19 to P1 at the Italian GP
Frequently Asked

Kimi Antonelli: Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Kimi Antonelli?

Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006 in Bologna, Italy, and is 19. He made his Formula 1 debut at 18 years and 203 days, the third-youngest race starter in the sport's history.

How many races has Kimi Antonelli won?

Six, all in 2026: China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco and Belgium. The first five were consecutive, the longest winning run any driver has started a career with after a maiden victory.

What records does Kimi Antonelli hold?

He is the youngest polesitter, the youngest winner from pole, the youngest World Championship leader and the youngest driver to score a grand chelem. He also holds the record for the most points scored in a first championship season, with 150 in 2025.

Which team does Kimi Antonelli drive for?

Mercedes-AMG Petronas. He joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2018, was the team's test driver in 2024, and replaced Lewis Hamilton in the race seat for 2025 alongside George Russell.

Why does Kimi Antonelli use the number 12?

He chose it in tribute to Ayrton Senna, whom he grew up watching on DVD with his father, and had used the same number through his 2022 and 2023 title-winning junior seasons.

What did Kimi Antonelli win before Formula 1?

The Italian and ADAC Formula 4 championships in 2022, and both the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European titles in 2023. He then finished sixth in Formula 2 with Prema in 2024, skipping Formula 3 entirely.

How is Kimi Antonelli doing in the 2026 season?

He leads the Drivers' Championship on 219 points after eleven rounds, 50 clear of Lewis Hamilton and 59 clear of team-mate George Russell, with six wins, six poles and nine podiums.

Shop His Gear

Kimi Antonelli Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Kimi Antonelli — official driver profile · Formula1.com (official)
  2. 2026 Drivers' Championship standings · Formula1.com (official)
  3. Andrea Kimi Antonelli — season-by-season statistics · StatsF1
  4. Andrea Kimi Antonelli driver database · Motor Sport Magazine
  5. Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix to become youngest F1 championship leader · The Guardian
  6. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile · FIA, governing body records
  7. Kimi Antonelli · Wikipedia
  8. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Q112073790) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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