Marco Antonelli has revealed that he first recognised his son Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s world championship potential after the young Mercedes driver recovered from a major practice crash at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. Speaking following the 20-year-old’s historic Formula 1 title triumph in Mexico, the former racing driver explained how his son’s mental strength, remarkable composure and ability to overcome adversity have become defining qualities throughout his career.
The celebrations at the Mexico City Grand Prix provided an unforgettable image: Andrea Kimi Antonelli being lifted into the air by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after becoming Formula 1’s youngest world champion. Between them, the three drivers represented 12 world championship titles on the podium, with the latest belonging to the 20-year-old from Bologna. His achievement also ended Italy’s 73-year wait for another Formula 1 drivers’ championship, reconnecting the country with Alberto Ascari, who claimed his final title for Ferrari in 1953.
Behind Antonelli’s extraordinary rise stands his father Marco, a 62-year-old former racing driver from Bologna and team principal of AKM Motorsport. More than simply a parent, he has been a mentor throughout his son’s development, helping him navigate the pressures of professional motorsport while allowing him to establish his own identity.
Marco Antonelli’s own racing experience has played an important part in that relationship. Yet what impresses him most about his son is not simply his natural speed, but his mental strength and ability to recover from difficult situations. Those qualities have helped the Mercedes youngster establish himself at the highest level, culminating in a championship-winning season that included his crucial victory at the United States Grand Prix.
Marco Antonelli reacts to Kimi becoming Formula 1 world champion
Marco, how does it feel to see your son become world champion?
“It’s difficult to say. You don’t really take it in because it’s something so enormous that it almost feels strange. You fight for a championship just like the ones he’s competed in up to now, and honestly, we don’t feel the difference. We haven’t really grasped that we’re talking about Formula 1.”
Do you think the full significance will sink in over the next few days?
“I think so. Today Kimi became world champion and everyone is starting to talk about it, but I still haven’t fully realised what he’s achieved. Until just a few hours ago, there was a title to win, and he prepared for it with exactly the same mentality he’s always had. We’ve approached every race in the same way, trying to do the best possible job each time without looking at the standings. I don’t think anything changes today.”
How Kimi Antonelli manages pressure before an F1 race
What kind of mentality allows a driver to release that tension?
“Pressure and tension are two things. You can also release tension through the people around you. When you’re about to get into the car, it’s not so much pressure as the tension of wanting to do well.
“You’ve raced yourself, so you know what it’s like when you’re half an hour away from a race and you start thinking about going out there to try to win. You deal with pressure by trying to give 100% every time you go out on track, without thinking about the final result of the season.”
During that half-hour on the grid, Kimi looks for you a great deal…
“He looks for me a lot…”
Sometimes it seems that a glance between you is enough, without needing any words…
“That’s exactly how it is. I often ask him whether he feels the tension before a race, and he admits that he does. I tell him that’s a positive thing because it means the adrenaline is starting to flow and preparing him to perform at his best.
“Kimi sees me partly as his mentor, so he knows that a glance can provide support and reassurance. He knows I understand what he’s feeling.”
Kimi can ask the team anything technical, but when it comes to the person climbing into the cockpit, you’re his main reference point…
“Yes, because as I said before, having been a driver myself, although not at his level, I understand what it means to get into a racing car.
“Whether you’re competing in Formula 1 or GT racing, drivers always ask themselves the same questions. They wonder whether they’ll make a mistake and what other people will think. Those thoughts inevitably arise for anyone competing in motorsport or any other sport at a high level, where the competition is intense.”
And what does that mean for your relationship?
“Kimi knows I understand him, and that’s probably why he looks for me. A glance or a hug can give him that brief moment of relaxation that helps him maintain his concentration when he gets into the car and tries to deliver a result.”
But today your son has become Formula 1 world champion. What does that mean to you?
“It means happiness for him, happiness for me as a father, and happiness for all of us as a family who have always followed and supported him.”
Marco Antonelli explains why his son is not living out his father’s unfinished racing dreams
There seems to be something much deeper here, rooted in your lifelong passion for racing. You achieved impressive results despite lacking the resources needed to pursue the professional career you might have deserved. In Super Touring, you fought against factory teams with customer cars, including a privately run BMW M3 with AB Motorsport. What does passing the baton from father to son represent? Does Kimi’s success make up for what you were unable to achieve?
“Well, perhaps that’s a slightly predictable way of looking at it. My experience may have helped. Although I was a reasonably quick driver, I never found myself in the right place at the right time.”
What do you mean by that?
“When my son started racing, I was afraid he might experience something similar to what happened to me. That was my fear, but it didn’t happen because Kimi always did everything well and found himself in the right circumstances. He knew how to make the most of his opportunities.
“Now I feel enormous happiness because my fears turned out to be unfounded. Seeing him achieve what I couldn’t gives me an extra sense of satisfaction, but anyone who thinks I want to see myself in him is mistaken.
“I followed my own path, and he has followed his. Kimi has done well because he has put everything together, and as a family we created the right conditions for him. Some of my mistakes were useful because they helped him avoid repeating them. We did a good job of creating the right environment for him. I don’t think having experience to draw upon is a small thing.”
What Kimi Antonelli inherited from his parents Marco and Veronica
What has Kimi inherited from Marco, and what has he inherited from Veronica?
“We’re very similar. We’re all stubborn. We don’t give up an inch until we’ve achieved what we set out to do.
“There’s also dedication to work. I went home after Kimi’s victory in Austin because my team was at Mugello fighting for a championship, and commitments have to be honoured. That’s a value I’ve passed on to Kimi, just as his mother encouraged him to continue his education despite his racing commitments.”
The Austin victory was another significant milestone in Antonelli’s title-winning campaign. His ninth Formula 1 win also generated increased television audiences in Italy, reflecting the growing attention surrounding the young Mercedes driver.
Have you ever considered closing your team to follow the world champion full-time? Does running your GT and Formula 4 team remain your main professional activity?
“Exactly. To follow him, I have to divide my time and make an additional effort to maintain my business while staying close to him. But just because he’s in Formula 1 doesn’t mean my life or Veronica’s has changed. We’ve always remained the same people.”
Isn’t it difficult to remain yourself in an environment as exposed to the media as Formula 1?
“Of course, but because I haven’t transferred my own ambitions onto him, we’re following two separate, parallel paths.
“My career as a driver came to an end at a certain point, while his continues to develop and bring him the results he deserves. That’s why my life doesn’t change, and I haven’t wanted to mix it with his.
“As a father, I feel it’s my duty to help my son, but I don’t want to interfere with his journey, and I maintain my own passions. What Kimi has more of than me, and perhaps even more than Veronica, is foresight in dealing with situations.”
The mental strength that makes Kimi Antonelli different
Can you explain that in more detail?
“Over the years, we’ve learned to understand him, and we’ve adapted somewhat to his character. He never worries about problems before they happen. He never sees things negatively, and even when something doesn’t work, he looks for a solution to put it right.
“It’s an enormous quality that he’s developed, whereas I was definitely much more emotional. The other thing that really impresses me is his ability to maintain concentration.”
In that particular respect, there’s a similarity with his idol Ayrton Senna, who sought perfection in everything he undertook…
“Kimi has the ability to shut himself off from the world. Perhaps he’s inherited a little of that from me.
“When I was racing and didn’t have much money, I used to prepare customers’ cars, but at a certain point I was able to switch everything else off and focus on the fact that I had to drive and perhaps try to win.
“My son, however, can always find the right words even in the most negative situations, and he never gets discouraged. He doesn’t sink to a low point and then have to climb back up. He always manages to maintain his level and keep trying to improve.”
Marco Antonelli discusses Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s respect for Kimi
Usually, when a talented youngster arrives in Formula 1, the established drivers give him a tough introduction. Yet Kimi hasn’t really been on the receiving end of wheel-to-wheel intimidation from champions such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Is there a reason?
“That’s a question you’d have to ask them. I think he’s shown enormous respect for the champions, and he’s received that respect in return.
“You shouldn’t resort to dirty tricks. Sporting honesty is important in a competitive environment, and it’s a value he represents.
“Of course, when they have to fight wheel to wheel, they don’t back down because they certainly don’t make life easy for one another. But there’s always a great deal of fairness.”
Inside the private motorhome gatherings of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and the Antonelli family
On some trips, you don’t stay in hotels but travel with motorhomes. At Monza, you were parked in the enclosed yard of a company in Biassono, near the circuit, alongside the motorhomes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. It was almost like a little campsite. People imagine Formula 1 drivers staying in the most luxurious hotels, but the reality seems different…
“No, no. We try to stay in fairly private places when we’re parked with the motorhomes.”
How often does that happen during the year?
“With Max, always, when we decide to stay in the motorhome. But it also happens very often with Lewis and with others. We see each other, have a little chat, and then everyone gets on with their own life.”
People in the paddock say you cook for everyone and that your pasta is famous.
“No, not for absolutely everyone, but let’s say the opportunity comes up from time to time.
“We’ve never managed to have a proper dinner with Lewis because he’s always very busy with sponsors and other commitments. But it’s true that sometimes we have guests such as Stefano Domenicali and Flavio Briatore.
“I do want to make one thing clear, though: the Antonelli restaurant is very simple. Some pasta, a chicken breast and a salad, nothing more. I bring everything from home, and then we play a few games of cards. It’s all very simple.”
That’s true, but it sounds nothing like the glamorous lifestyle people associate with the Formula 1 paddock.
“We’re not interested in that. We don’t throw parties, just dinners with friends to spend time together. It’s no different from when we raced in the CIVT. It’s no longer touring cars, it’s Formula 1.”
Would it be possible to have Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sitting at the same table in the Antonelli motorhome?
“Lewis has a few more dietary restrictions, so it’s a little more complicated. With Max, there aren’t any restrictions.”
Lewis Hamilton follows a vegan diet, which makes arranging meals more complicated than with Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the relaxed gatherings described by Marco Antonelli offer a glimpse of a more personal side of Formula 1, away from the pressures and public attention surrounding the championship.
Marco Antonelli warns staying at the top of F1 will be harder than reaching it
Kimi has become world champion today. What changes after such a historic achievement?
“It has taken an enormous amount of effort to reach the top of the ladder, but staying there is much harder. So we’re already prepared for that. For now, we’re enjoying the moment. The emotions are extremely strong.”
Have you forgotten the harsh criticism Kimi faced last year when the results weren’t coming?
“You can’t attack a young man who’s only been in Formula 1 for six months because there have been some poor results.
“I want to point out that those results weren’t always down to him. In fact, he managed to recover from situations that could have destroyed him, because some of the attacks were very harsh.
“His ability to change the direction of events, as he did so many times in karting and in championships that seemed lost before he managed to turn everything around, demonstrates Kimi’s strength.
“He’s now adding experience, confidence with the car and familiarity with the team to his natural talent. He’s 20 years old, but his maturity is beyond his age.”
How far does he want to go?
“I think he still has a good margin for improvement. If you combine that with his mentality of never being satisfied, he’ll have the motivation to continue doing well in Formula 1 for as long as he has a competitive car. I’d be surprised if I were wrong…”
Marco Antonelli addresses Toto Wolff and Mercedes’ handling of Kimi’s pressure
The Mercedes Junior Programme backed Kimi when he was a child, and Toto Wolff has nurtured him almost like a second father for nine years. Did you ever wonder whether the intense pressure that unsettled your son was deliberately created by the team to discover whether he could withstand extreme pressure before attempting to fight for the world championship?
“I don’t know, because those aren’t subjects we’ve explored in depth. Kimi tried to give his best, and we tried to help him. It seems to me that he managed to come through it well. Everything else doesn’t matter…”
Why the Australian GP crash convinced Marco Antonelli his son could become F1 champion
Which race marked the turning point in Kimi’s championship campaign? Some say Monte Carlo, while others point to Monza…
“For me, it was the first race of the season, in Australia. After the crash in Free Practice 3, I would never have imagined that he could get back into the car and immediately qualify on the front row.
“When you have an accident like that, it’s inevitable that you lose a little confidence, and perhaps the ghosts of the previous year come back into your mind.
“Kimi was really good, and he gave me yet another demonstration of his ability to turn situations around thanks to his mental strength.”
Even though George Russell won in Melbourne?
“Yes. He went into qualifying with a car that didn’t have a proper set-up because it had only been finished at the last moment. So he didn’t know whether it was properly sorted or not.
“Let’s say he approached that Grand Prix with the mentality of wanting to put things right within himself. And that’s where I saw the champion.
“I knew the season would take a different direction and that he would be a contender. Of course, I couldn’t have imagined it would go quite this far, but I knew he would be in the fight.”
The Australian Grand Prix therefore represented a defining moment for Marco Antonelli, even though his son did not win the race. His ability to recover mentally from a heavy accident, return to an unfamiliar car set-up and deliver a front-row qualifying performance convinced his father that he possessed the strength required to compete for the championship.
That mental resilience would become increasingly important as the season progressed, particularly during the battle with Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Earlier in the campaign, Toto Wolff addressed Russell’s difficulties against Antonelli, while the British driver later described his difficult Austin Grand Prix as 50 terrible laps.
Marco Antonelli recalls the extraordinary performances that revealed Kimi’s talent
He’s now the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. In only his second season, he’s already achieved things that will be remembered for years and could mark the beginning of a legendary career…
“I think I know Kimi very well, but there are times when I ask myself how he managed to achieve certain things, and not just in Formula 1.”
Can you give some examples?
“When he won the FRECA race at Zandvoort in the wet and was a second faster than everyone else, or his Formula 4 debut at Monza, or the karting race after the accident at Portimão when he’d broken his leg.
“He’s achieved extraordinary things even without testing. In GT racing at Misano, he finished 23 seconds ahead of everyone else in a car he barely knew, without making a single mistake.
“I remember all of them, and these aren’t ordinary or trivial achievements. Obviously, I’ve seen them all, and I know what he’s capable of.”
And now the rest of us have discovered it too…
Related Mercedes and Formula 1 news
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli reveals how Peter Bonnington helped him win in Austin
- 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship standings
- Ferrari SF-26 loses 25 km/h to Mercedes W17 in Antonelli and Leclerc’s Austin battle
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