Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is by far the youngest racer on the grid. At just eighteen years old, he competes against rivals who had already won titles before he was even born. We’re looking at you, Fernando Alonso. Another veteran who could easily be Kimi Antonelli’s father is former world champion Kimi Räikkönen. In the run-up to the Bahrain GP, Antonelli spoke about the first meeting between the two Kimis.
During a press conference, Antonelli was asked if he had ever sought advice from his namesake. “I met him once in Monza, but I was still quite young,” the Italian responded. “That must have been in 2018. I immediately understood why they call him The Iceman. I ran up to him very excitedly, but he didn’t flinch. He’s a really cool guy. Unfortunately, I’ve never really been able to spar with him. I would like to do that sometime. It would be very valuable to ask him for advice, especially because he has done so much for the sport.”
Incidentally, Antonelli was not named after Räikkönen. The 18-year-old driver from Bologna got his nickname from a family friend. He simply thought ‘Kimi’ was very beautiful, suggested it to Antonelli’s parents, and they agreed. So it has nothing to do with the Finnish star, who retired from Formula 1 in 2022.
Former Formula 1 driver Kimi Räikkönen attended the Italian GP in 2024, but has not spoken to Andrea Kimi Antonelli since his Mercedes debut (Getty Images)
