Kimi Antonelli Celebrates Her 20th Birthday with a Surprise Guest

Home-cooked food, a few hours of fun with friends, and finally a family dinner with Mom, Dad, and his little sister Maggie. Kimi Antonelli is celebrating his 20th birthday today in Italy, after returning from Zandvoort, where he competed in the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday. The Mercedes driver will have a few days to relax before getting back to work and beginning preparations for the most anticipated race of the season—his home race, the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled for September 6 at Monza.

“I’ve organized a great party in Italy, and Bez will be there too!” said Kimi, referring to Marco Bezzecchi, a close friend and fellow sports enthusiast. Antonelli had gone to visit him at the track last June, during the Mugello Grand Prix, and the two have been sharing the excitement, expectations, and pressures of two particularly intense seasons.

The birthday party will therefore take place in his homeland, surrounded by his longtime friends. The same friends who, after his first Formula 1 victory last March in China, had organized an unforgettable surprise for him. “They really took me by surprise,” Kimi recalled of that moment. “I was still a bit out of it because of the jet lag, and they showed up at my house, all wearing T-shirts with a picture of my podium print on them.”

A group of friends who didn’t leave him alone even during the summer vacation in August and who will once again be by his side today to celebrate an important milestone. Then, it’ll be time for family and a dinner together, likely featuring one of his favorite dishes: the ever-present pasta al ragù. A special birthday, then, for Antonelli, who has turned twenty after a standout first season in Formula 1 and with one of the most exciting events of the year ahead of him: the Italian Grand Prix in front of his home crowd.