Kimi Antonelli Wiki, Age, Height, Net Worth 2026

Kimi Antonelli is an Italian Formula 1 driver who became the youngest world champion in the sport’s history by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November 2026. The Mercedes driver, aged 20 years and 68 days, sealed the 2026 drivers’ title with four races still to run, finishing behind race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in a red-flagged, restarted race. He is the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and he beat the previous youngest-champion record held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first title in 2010. Like fellow young athletes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Gianmarco Tamberi, Antonelli reached the top of his sport in only his second season on the Formula 1 grid.

Early Life

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006 in Bologna, Italy, according to Mercedes. He grew up inside motorsport: his father, Marco Antonelli, raced sportscars and founded Antonelli Motorsport in 1993, while his mother is Veronica Pomaro. Known by his middle name Kimi rather than his first name Andrea, he began karting as a small child and was racing competitively by the age of seven, according to ESPN.

His karting results quickly drew the attention of Formula 1’s biggest teams. Mercedes signed him to its junior programme in April 2019, aged 12. He won WSK titles in the OK Junior class in 2019, then won the FIA Karting European Championship in 2020 and retained the title in 2021.

Career

Antonelli made his single-seater debut in Italian Formula 4 in 2021 with Prema. The breakthrough came in 2022, when he won both the Italian and the German ADAC Formula 4 titles, collecting 22 wins, 21 pole positions and 27 podiums across the two series, according to Mercedes. In 2023 he moved up to Formula Regional and won both the Middle East championship and the European championship, with five victories in the European series.

Mercedes then made an unusual call, promoting him straight to Formula 2 in 2024 and skipping Formula 3 altogether. With Prema, he won at Silverstone and Budapest, finished sixth overall, and became the category’s youngest multiple race winner, as reported by Mercedes. When Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes for Ferrari, team principal Toto Wolff backed Antonelli to take the vacant seat for 2025. He made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in March 2025 at 18 years, 6 months and 19 days, the third-youngest driver ever to start a Formula 1 race.

His rookie season brought a sprint pole in Miami and a first podium in Canada, and he ended the year seventh with three podiums and 150 points. His second season was dominant. He claimed his first Grand Prix victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on 15 March 2026, becoming the second-youngest race winner ever at 19 years and 202 days, behind only Verstappen’s 2016 record, as reported by Livemint. By the time he arrived in Mexico City he had nine wins and 16 podiums for the season, according to The Hindu, and he needed only a ninth-place finish to guarantee the title.

The Mexico City race itself was full of drama. Antonelli started fourth, while Hamilton started from pole position. Verstappen won in 2:20:28.772, finishing 0.799 seconds ahead of Hamilton, after a lap-46 red flag for Valtteri Bottas’s suspension failure and crash caused a 33-minute halt, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Hindu. Antonelli’s third place took him to 380 points and an unassailable lead of 119 points. A tearful Antonelli said over the team radio, “We did it, we did it,” as reported by CNN.

Personal Life

Antonelli keeps his private life largely out of public view, and he is believed to be single as of November 2026, according to Hello! magazine. He previously dated Czech karting driver Eliska Babickova, whom he met through racing, for more than two years; Babickova confirmed their separation in February 2026, just before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, as reported by The Sun and Hello! magazine. Babickova said in a social media video that she had ended the relationship because their goals and values no longer aligned, and she dismissed rumours of infidelity.

Babickova had won the Italian OK-class karting championship in 2023 as the first woman to claim the title, according to The Sun, while Antonelli has rarely spoken publicly about the split.

Kimi Antonelli Net Worth 2026

Kimi Antonelli net worth in 2026 is not publicly disclosed, and no verified figure has been published by a reliable financial source. His Mercedes base salary for 2026 has been reported at around $2 million, according to Livemint, citing RacingNews365, but bonus and sponsorship income has not been confirmed in official records. Unofficial websites publish estimates from around $2 million to $15 million, but none is backed by a reputable financial report.

As a 20-year-old world champion in only his second season, his earning power is clearly rising fast. Until verified earnings appear, however, the accurate position is that his net worth remains undisclosed, and any specific number found online should be treated as unverified speculation.

FAQ

How old is Kimi Antonelli?

Kimi Antonelli was born on 25 August 2006, which made him 20 years old on 2 November 2026. He won the Formula 1 world championship at 20 years and 68 days, the youngest champion in the sport’s history.

What is Kimi Antonelli height?

Kimi Antonelli height is reported as 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) by multiple profiles, including RacingNews365. That makes him one of the shorter drivers on the 2026 Formula 1 grid.

How did Kimi Antonelli become the youngest F1 world champion?

Kimi Antonelli sealed the 2026 title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November 2026, behind winner Max Verstappen and second-placed Lewis Hamilton. The podium took him to 380 points and an unassailable 119-point lead with four races remaining.

Who is Kimi Antonelli girlfriend?

Kimi Antonelli is believed to be single as of November 2026. He previously dated Czech karting driver Eliska Babickova for more than two years; Babickova confirmed in February 2026 that she had ended the relationship because their long-term goals and values no longer aligned.

What is Kimi Antonelli net worth?

Kimi Antonelli net worth is not publicly disclosed as of November 2026. His reported 2026 Mercedes base salary is around $2 million, according to Livemint, but no verified net worth figure has been published, and unofficial online estimates vary widely.

What titles did Kimi Antonelli win before Formula 1?

Before Formula 1, Kimi Antonelli won the Italian and German Formula 4 titles in 2022 and the Formula Regional Middle East and European championships in 2023, then won races in Formula 2 in 2024. Mercedes promoted him straight from Formula Regional to Formula 2, skipping Formula 3.