Was Kimi Antonelli named after Ferrari's last world champion Kimi Raikkonen? The Mercedes driver addresses the mystery surrounding his first name

Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli has claimed that he was not named after former world champion Kimi Raikkonen. The F2 driver has got the attention of every fan of the sport given that he would be replacing Lewis Hamilton at the Brackley-based outfit in 2025 after a stellar junior career.

Although he has not been able to set ablaze the Formula 2 season this year, that did not factor in Toto Wolff going for the young Italian driver as the future of the team. It will also be the first time that the name Kimi will return to the F1 grid since the former Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen retired at the end of the 2021 season.

In his interview at the Festival della Sport, Kimi Antonelli spoke about sharing the same name as an F1 legend and opened up about its origin, saying:

"Well, it isn't a reference to Raikkonen. It was given by a friend of ours, Enrico Bertaggia. Let's say my parents wanted to give me a second name, which fitted both Andrea and Antonelli. They didn't know what to name and so Enrico Bertaggia came and chose to name me 'Kimi'."

At the event, Kimi Antonelli also spoke about making his debut at the pinnacle of motorsport, adding (via Motorsport Italy):

"Being an official driver next year is something I haven't achieved yet. I'm slowly achieving it, but I think I'll only achieve it when I'm on the grid in Melbourne. But I'm very happy, it's a dream come true."

Kimi Antonelli lays out his goals for the 2025 season

Mercedes Academy driver Kimi Antonelli stated that winning some races in the 2025 season would be a dream for him, as he believes that he is ready for F1 despite being just 18 years of age.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Italian said:

“I feel ready for F1. In terms of speed, I don't think it will be a problem and the only thing where there will be a lot of work to do will be understanding how to manage the weekend in the best possible way and also learning all the procedures. So, there will be a lot of things to learn but I feel ready.”

“Winning some races would definitely be a dream. It won't be easy, because all the teams have a competitive car, so it will be very difficult, but this is my first goal. Even some podiums would be good, but the main goal is to bring home some victories." he added.

However, before making his way into F1, Kimi Antonelli has to complete two more F2 weekends in Lusail and Abu Dhabi this season and round off his junior career on a high as he stands P6 in the Driver's Championship.