Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli is reportedly facing a high-value lawsuit from former manager Giovanni Minardi, the man credited with discovering him in karting and helping to open the door to Mercedes. According to Corriere dello Sport, the dispute has been before the Bologna court since the second half of 2025 and concerns fees Giovanni Minardi claims were never paid under their representation agreement.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been dealing with the legal action for around a year after his professional relationship with Giovanni Minardi ended abruptly during his debut Formula 1 season. The two sides are reportedly still far apart on a possible settlement, while Toto Wolff and Gwen Lagrue could potentially be called as witnesses.
Giovanni Minardi and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Giovanni Minardi discovered Andrea Kimi Antonelli in karting
When Andrea Kimi Antonelli began winning in Formula 1, the media spotlight increasingly focused on the young Bologna-born driver. In particular, the story of his discovery by Giovanni Minardi — the son of Giancarlo Minardi, founder of the eponymous Formula 1 team — became widely known.
Giovanni Minardi first saw Andrea Kimi Antonelli competing in a kart race at Sarno in 2014 and immediately brought him into Minardi Management. Giovanni Minardi was also responsible for introducing the young driver first to Ferrari and then to Mercedes. Ferrari did not pursue the opportunity, while Toto Wolff opened the door for Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.
In 2019, the current championship leader joined the Mercedes junior programme while he was still competing in karting. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Kimi Antonelli lawsuit follows 2025 management split
What had not been publicly known until now was that the relationship between Giovanni Minardi and Andrea Kimi Antonelli ended abruptly in 2025, when the Bologna-born driver made his Formula 1 debut.
According to the latest edition of Corriere dello Sport, Andrea Kimi Antonelli unilaterally terminated the management agreement with his former representative.
The decision was not welcomed by Giovanni Minardi, who launched legal action at the Bologna court during the second half of 2025. Giovanni Minardi is seeking “fees stipulated in the representation agreement that were never paid”.
The two parties are reportedly still far from reaching a settlement that would resolve their previous financial arrangements. The Rome-based newspaper described the dispute as “a lawsuit involving many zeros”, noting that Andrea Kimi Antonelli earned an estimated €12–13 million last year.
Toto Wolff could be called as a witness
Mercedes team principal, co-owner and chief executive Toto Wolff could also be called to testify during the proceedings. Gwen Lagrue, who was responsible for the Mercedes junior programme at the time Andrea Kimi Antonelli joined the team’s academy, could also be summoned as a witness.
The dispute therefore reaches back to the foundations of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s journey towards Formula 1: from Giovanni Minardi discovering him in karting and presenting him to Ferrari to the Mercedes backing that ultimately shaped his rise. Andrea Kimi Antonelli now leads the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ standings, while the legal disagreement with his former manager remains unresolved.
Leave a Reply