Will he be the new superstar in Formula 1? 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli inspires the Formula 1 fans in Miami. His employer Mercedes and the Italian press are delighted.
Youngest leader in one Grand Prixyoungest driver with the fastest racing round, since Friday the youngest pilot on the Pole position -Andrea Kimi Antonelli needed just six racing weekends to rewrite some passages of the Formula 1 history books.
The footsteps in which the 18-year-old Italian kicked at Mercedes on January 1 were huge. After all, the polite curly head from Bologna followed none other than Lewis Hamilton’s record champion.
“Seven or eight months ago only got his driver’s license”
“The Kimi only got his driver’s license seven or eight months ago, has never been in Miami and puts the car on the pole here. That is a announcement”Mercedes Motor sports director Toto Wolff was happy at the “Sky” microphone. The Austrian had given Antonelli his trust, admitted to him for a year of apprenticeship and can already see himself confirmed for his choice.
Because Antonelli hurriedly proved that he is more than a raw diamond who was allowed to march through the young series in the premier class. “The next superstar comes to us. I think that’s no surprise for someone here”said McLaren managing director Zak Brown after Antonelli’s hussar ride in the pole position for the sprint race in Miami. Sebastian Vettel had set up the previous pole record of Formula 1, in 2008 the later world champion was 21 years old at the Grand Prix in Monza.
Antonelli: “I can hardly wait”
Purists may throw in that Vettel is still the youngest who was allowed to start a Grand Prix from the very front – sprint races have only been in the formula since 2021, and only on selected weekends, and a victory is still only worth eight and not 25 points.
None of this played a role in Florida’s heat. “I had a lot of confidence, in the last round I got everything together”said a radiant Antonelli: “It will certainly be a different feeling to start from the front. But I can hardly wait.”
Even if the sprint was not at all, as desired, Antonelli set a fragrance mark. McLaren-Pilot Oscar Piatri had overtaken him in the first curve, also his teammate Lando Norris. Later there was a touch in the pit lane with Max Verstappen – in the end it was only enough for eighth place after cleaning up.
Italian media rolled over
Antonelli’s teammate George Russell was congratulatory on Friday, his father Marco no longer wanted to release Filius from the hug. And the Italian media also overturned. “Antonelli writes history”cheered the “Gazzetta Dello Sport”.
And the next Antonelli record? He can no longer be the youngest racing winner in Formula 1, he is slightly older than the current world champion Max Verstappen at the age of 18 and eight months. In 2016 he was 18 years and seven months old in his first success. Antonelli, however, may soon be able to redeem the motorsport nation Italy: Giancarlo Fisichella, the last Grand Prix victory so far, achieved 19 years ago.