Nico Rosberg wanted to become Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s manager when the newly crowned Formula 1 world champion was still competing in karting, according to his former mentor Dino Chiesa. The 2016 F1 champion had not only welcomed the young Italian into his racing academy but had also attempted to take personal responsibility for managing his career. However, Toto Wolff was already closely involved in the Bologna-born driver’s development.
The previously untold story was revealed by Dino Chiesa in an exclusive interview with Fanpage.it. Having worked with both Nico Rosberg and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during their karting years, Chiesa witnessed the former Mercedes driver’s interest in taking on a more significant role in the Italian’s career.
The revelation comes shortly after the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, where Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history at just 20 years old, ending Italy’s 73-year wait for another Drivers’ Championship. He achieved the milestone with Mercedes, the same team with which Nico Rosberg won his only world title a decade earlier.
Nico Rosberg wanted to become Kimi Antonelli’s manager, Dino Chiesa reveals
The story begins in 2018, two years after Nico Rosberg retired from Formula 1. The German had established his own academy for young drivers alongside Dino Chiesa, who had previously worked with him during his karting career, when he competed alongside Lewis Hamilton.
At the end of that year, Andrea Kimi Antonelli joined the Rosberg Racing Academy after progressing from the Mini category to OK-Junior. The Italian was already connected to Mercedes, while the academy provided an opportunity to continue developing under Chiesa’s guidance using Kart Republic equipment.
However, Nico Rosberg had ambitions beyond supporting the young driver through his karting organisation. Asked by Fanpage.it about the former world champion’s personal involvement in Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s career, Dino Chiesa explained that he had also expressed an interest in becoming his manager.
“A little at the beginning, because we’d set up that team with Rosberg, who also helped us financially. And naturally, he wanted to be his manager as well. He’d tried saying, ‘Come on, I’ll do it.’ But then, well, I think Toto knew very well how to handle the situation.”
This is the previously undisclosed element of the story. According to Dino Chiesa, Nico Rosberg was not interested solely in supporting Andrea Kimi Antonelli through his karting team. He had also attempted to put himself forward as the young driver’s personal manager.
However, the account does not establish whether the proposal ever developed into formal negotiations or whether Toto Wolff directly intervened to prevent it. Dino Chiesa offered his own assessment of the Mercedes team principal’s role without suggesting that an explicit veto had been imposed.
Nico Rosberg recognised Kimi Antonelli’s exceptional talent during karting years
The connection between Nico Rosberg and Andrea Kimi Antonelli began long before the Italian established himself as one of international motorsport’s most promising young drivers. The former Formula 1 world champion had watched him compete in several karting events and had sought Dino Chiesa’s opinion before the youngster joined the academy.
“Nico came to watch him, and you could see that he was number one. There was nothing to discover; we already knew that,” the Kart Republic chief continued.
Dino Chiesa also recalled a conversation with Nico Rosberg when Andrea Kimi Antonelli was still very young. The German had wanted to understand what kind of driver he was dealing with before bringing him into the programme.
“Before Kimi joined the programme, he had asked me what kind of kid he was. I told him, ‘Look, when you come to watch him, you’ll realise for yourself.’ And of course, it’s easy for all of us to say that afterwards, you know?”
The belief in Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s exceptional ability was therefore already shared by those around him during his karting career. Nico Rosberg knew Dino Chiesa’s work particularly well, having benefited from his guidance while developing alongside Lewis Hamilton, and recognised that the young Italian possessed unusual talent.
Toto Wolff and Mercedes guided Kimi Antonelli towards Formula 1
Ultimately, it was Mercedes, under the leadership of Toto Wolff, that managed Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s sporting development towards Formula 1. The team continued investing in his progress before deciding to promote him directly into its works line-up at the age of 18 in 2025.
That decision was an important moment in the Italian’s career, with Mercedes placing its faith in a young driver who had already attracted attention from an established Formula 1 world champion. The importance of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s early development has become an increasingly prominent subject following his championship success.
Just one year after making his Formula 1 debut, Andrea Kimi Antonelli became world champion. Mercedes’ long-term commitment to the Italian was also reflected in Toto Wolff’s comments following his first world title, when the Austrian discussed the team’s belief in the young driver.
Among those who had recognised Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s potential long before he reached Formula 1 was Nico Rosberg. According to Dino Chiesa’s testimony, the former Mercedes champion had envisaged accompanying the Italian towards the highest level of motorsport in a capacity that went beyond simply overseeing his racing academy.
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