Antonelli plans driver academy and GT3 race alongside his father amid F1 title charge

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 20, is targeting a career beyond the cockpit even as he competes for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship with Mercedes, telling German publication Auto Motor und Sport that he intends to build a driver academy and race alongside his father in GT3.

The Italian driver cited the financial barriers facing talented young drivers as the primary motivation. “We want to build an academy for young people so they get a chance in motorsport,” Antonelli told AMUS. “Motorsport is a great but difficult world. It is not easy to get opportunities there. We want to help young drivers get a chance.”

Antonelli’s thinking on the academy’s scope is notably broader than a conventional F1 pathway programme. He pointed to professional GT racing as a legitimate and lucrative destination in its own right, partly crediting Max Verstappen’s high-profile forays into GT3 endurance racing for raising the category’s visibility. “GT racing is growing strongly right now,” Antonelli said. “Max is helping to make it more well-known and show the fascination.” He added that the academy would not be exclusively F1-focused: “There are also many opportunities in professional GT racing.”

The plans follow similar moves elsewhere in the paddock, with Lando Norris also reported to be exploring the launch of his own junior team.

Before any academy takes shape, Antonelli has a more personal milestone in his sights. His father, Marco Antonelli, is a former touring car driver and founder of the GT racing outfit AKM Motorsport — the environment in which Kimi grew up around motorsport. Although Kimi has previously tested his father’s GT3 machinery, the two have never shared a race weekend together in competition. According to Antonelli, that is set to change soon, though no specific event or date was confirmed in the interview.

Antonelli’s background at AKM Motorsport gives him a first-hand understanding of the costs and structural challenges facing young drivers without factory backing — an experience he says directly informs the kind of support structure he wants to create.