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Italian youngster Andre Kimi Antonelli has been grabbing a lot of attention in the junior series, with some even dubbing him the next Max Verstappen. At the mere age of 16, Antonelli has achieved immense success in karting and Formula races.
Antonelli's racing career started at the age of seven, with karting. He won the Easykart International Grand Final — Easy 60 in 2015, and went on to win multiple WSK cups over the years.
Similar to double Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, Antonelli has been showing signs of success in Formula racing early in his career. In the 2023 season the Italian has been competing with Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Cup, and currently holds the second position with 109 points. He also won the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup in 2022, representing Team Italy.
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Antonelli was crowned the Formula Regional Middle East Champion in 2023, racing with Mumbai Falcons. Apart from open-wheel and karting, he is also the current championship leader of the Italian GT3 Pro Championship. In 2019, he joined the Mercedes Junior Driving Program.
'Next Max Verstappen' of motorsport, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, receives appreciation from Mercedes F1 team principal
Antonelli has been a part of the Mercedes Junior driving program since 2019. Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff recently praised the youngster for his well-rounded racing characteristics and stated that his strong family values will take him far. He told Motorsport.com:
"Since working together, Kimi has ticked all the boxes. But not only that, I really like him as a boy, as a personality and he has a fantastic family environment around him that helps him always keep his feet on the ground. He has a great talent and can count on important values that come from his family."
Antonelli has been dominating his peers in all racing formats, not unlike Verstappen, who is currently running away with the championship in Formula One. Red Bull's RB19 has a huge aerodynamic advantage, making it almost impossible for other drivers to compete with the Dutchman.
