Kimi Antonelli is ready to make a grand gesture in memory of Ayrton Senna

Kimi Antonelli is the world champion, but without the number 1 on his Mercedes. The driver from Bologna could make Formula 1 history at just 20 years and 73 days old, bringing an Italian back to the top of the world decades after Alberto Ascari. Yet, should he win the title, his choice of race number might come as a surprise: he plans to continue racing with the number 12.

““I have to finish the job, but I think I’ll stick with number 12 afterward,” Antonelli said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Blick on the eve of the Mexican Grand Prix, a race that could prove decisive in the title race.

The choice made by the young Mercedes talent stems from a passion that has been with him since his early days. The number 12 is, in fact, the number of his idol, Ayrton Senna, which the Brazilian champion used during his time with Lotus and McLaren. It’s a number that Antonelli has kept even in the lower categories and to which he has remained attached despite the opportunity to wear the number reserved for the reigning world champion.

This decision would echo that of Lewis Hamilton, his Mercedes teammate, who never gave up the number 44—not even during his world championship-winning years, from 2014 to 2021.

If Antonelli were to actually give up the number 1, his choice would confirm that a personal connection to a number can matter more than the prestige associated with the world title. A potential victory for the Bologna native would still mark a historic moment for Italian motorsports, regardless of the number on his car.