Kimi Antonelli: His “Undercover” Go-Kart Race Goes Viral
Andrea Kimi Antonelli returned for a day to his childhood passion: go-karts. The Bologna-based driver, who is enjoying the last few days of his vacation before the Formula 1 World Championship resumes, participated incognito in a go-kart event held in Germany, using the pseudonym “Franz Antonelli.”
The made-up name is a clear and playful reference to the pseudonym used by Max Verstappen during the NLS tests at the Nürburgring, when the four-time world champion went by the name “Franz Hermann.”
“Franz Antonelli” naturally swept aside the competition, winning the race by a clear margin with a lead of over a second and a half over the runner-up in a 27-lap race.
In recent days, in Sardinia, the Bologna native had already made headlines by breaking the lap record at the “Pista dei Campioni” kart track in Baja Sardinia—previously held by Charles Leclerc—clocking a time of 42.827” compared to the Ferrari driver’s 43.00”. “He’s practically a regular here now. Every year we’re happy to see Kimi Antonelli return to our track, and every time he manages to leave us with something special,” the track wrote on its Instagram account.
The summer break comes at a golden moment for the 19-year-old Mercedes driver, who leads the Formula 1 World Championship with 219 points, 59 points ahead of teammate George Russell and 50 ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Six victories under his belt—including the Monaco Grand Slam and the historic triumph at Spa-Francorchamps—which made him the first Italian to win at the Belgian circuit since Alberto Ascari in 1953—tell the story of a simply dominant first half of the season.
The young driver from Bologna, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on August 25, has managed to build a network of widespread respect that extends far beyond the paddock. Among his most ardent admirers is Max Verstappen, who told Sky Sports that Antonelli is “really strong, really solid, the strongest on the team,” emphasizing how Antonelli managed to stay resilient despite a few strokes of bad luck throughout the season. Words of praise also came from Bernie Ecclestone, who was succinct in an interview with Blick: “Kimi Antonelli will win the World Championship, even though Verstappen remains the best driver on the track.” Former Haas team principal Günther Steiner echoed this sentiment: “Kimi Antonelli will win. I think this young talent is doing an incredible job. I would never have said ‘Kimi’ six months ago, but now… he’s really delivering excellent performances.”
