Antonelli reveals father tried to shield him from F1 as title record looms in Austin

Kimi Antonelli has revealed that his father once tried to steer him away from motorsport entirely — a conversation that carries extra weight as the 18-year-old Mercedes driver arrives in Austin for the United States Grand Prix with a 102-point championship lead and a chance to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.

Speaking at the drivers’ press conference ahead of Sunday’s race, Antonelli explained that his father Marco — a former racing driver who now runs his own Italian GT and Formula 4 teams — was a constant presence in the paddock this season but had once been his biggest sceptic.

“When I was little, and before everything even started, he didn’t want me to race, because the sport can be very cruel at times,” Antonelli said. “Especially financially, it’s a very difficult sport when you don’t have the right support.”

Marco Antonelli’s reluctance stemmed from personal experience. His own career was ended by a lack of funding, and he did not want his son to face the same fate. “He didn’t have any financial support, and he couldn’t keep on going with his racing career, so that’s why he started his own racing team,” Antonelli explained. “He just wanted to protect me. But then he saw I had passion, so he decided to give it a go.”

The younger Antonelli was emphatic in crediting Mercedes for making the difference. “I will always be very grateful for Mercedes, because they were the one gambling on me when I was very little,” he said. “Without them, I probably wouldn’t be here today, because they were the one who supported me all the way from karting to now.”

Despite his father’s early reservations, Marco Antonelli has since become what his son describes as his “rock” — a figure who balances running his own racing operation with attending grands prix throughout the season.

“He’s been doing an incredible effort on trying to balance his work, his racing team, and coming to my races, so I really appreciate that from him,” Antonelli said. “Growing up, he’s been teaching me everything he knew, first of all about racing, but then now he teaches me more about life.”

Antonelli currently sits on 340 points, 102 ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell on 238. Lewis Hamilton is third with 229 points. A strong result in Austin on Sunday could seal the title before the season’s end and rewrite the record books.