Meet F1 driver Kimi Antonelli, who just won the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka
The 19-year-old won his first Grand Prix race earlier this month in Shanghai, and followed it up immediately with a second win in Japan
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli overcame a slow start to record his second straight win on Sunday at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Japan. Antonelli, who recorded his maiden win two weeks ago in China, became the youngest-ever person to lead the drivers’ standings after finishing the race in 1 hour, 28 minutes and 3.403 seconds.
“It’s been a big step,” said Antonelli, whose 72 points in the driver’s standings are nine more than teammate George Russell.
“Experience does a lot – obviously last year I’ve gone through a lot and it taught me massively more than what I anticipated, and for sure it’s helping so far this year. Of course there’s still a lot of work to do, but I definitely feel much more in control of the situation.”
The young driver joined Formula One just last year, but racing is in his blood. Here’s everything to know about Kimi Antonelli.
His father was a race car driver
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was born in August 2006 in Bologna, Italy. He is the son of a sports car racer Marco Antonelli, who founded his own racing team, Antonelli Motorsport, in 1993. His mother is Veronica Antonelli, who works with her husband on his racing team. He also has a younger sister, Maggie, who has been seen supporting her older brother at races.
He started karting as a child
The 19-year-old has been in the driver’s seat since he was a kid, karting when he was just seven years old. He won his first title with Trofeo Easykart and Kart Grand Prix EasyKart 60 category in 2015, racing for his father’s team.