The white shirt of the boss among the blue shirts of the mechanics. That is how Marco Antonelli stands out inside the garage of his AKM Motorsport team. But the only thing he has of the boss is the clothing, because in the box he works side by side with his men and, as a pure racer, he never shies away from the kind of back-of-the-garage chats that are his natural habitat. And when he does so, he manages to put the person in front of him at ease thanks to his politeness and disarming simplicity. These were the ingredients of the conversation that Kimi Antonelli’s father gave exclusively to the writer, touching on his work in the world of motorsport but also on the positive moment Andrea is experiencing in Formula 1, made possible by his talent but also by the support of the Mercedes team and of an extraordinarily normal family.
Marco, sometimes you follow your team and other times you follow Kimi at the GPs: how do you choose which trips to attend?
“Let’s say that Kimi is in good hands anyway, he is in the Mercedes family, it is as if we were there, so I am calm. Of course I have to look at everything a bit, I have a large team, so I need to strike the classic balance. Then we are coming from a positive period... I feel quite confident that, at this moment, Kimi can manage even on his own, even without me.”
Is Mercedes like a second family?
“Absolutely. I am extremely calm knowing he is on track with the Mercedes family, I know he is in safe hands.”
Do you think your work and your past in motorsport influenced Kimi’s choice to become a driver?
“Kimi was basically born in the paddock. When he was in his mother’s belly we were at Magny-Cours racing in WTCC and he would kick when he heard the cars being started. It definitely had an effect on him. Then obviously he showed that he had this passion and, even if we may have influenced him at the beginning, after that it was his choice, certainly not ours.”
You were also a driver: do you see yourself in your son?
“No, to be honest, no. He is faster than me (laughs, ed.). We belong to two different eras. Back then we were drivers with the knife between our teeth, fewer rules and more all-or-nothing moves, battles, fights and endless door-banging. Now we are in a moment with a different kind of motorsport. But he has always been quite combative, so in that respect I do see a bit of myself in him.”
Do you think that, over time, your role alongside Kimi at the GPs has changed, or has your support as a father remained the same?
“At most I can give my opinion if I see something that, in my view, is not correct, but he must always assess it and compare it with the engineers, with Bono (Peter Bonnington, ed.) and all his staff. I can express feelings, but they always need to be checked with the right tools. At most I can have my say, as a man who has lived in motorsport for many years and has seen many drivers. But then everything has to be verified. I want to be by Kimi’s side because if things go well we can rejoice together, but also to be a shoulder for him if things do not go as one would always hope.”
Your AKM Motorsport team is a Mercedes partner: how do you see the 2026 season for the Brackley team?
“I have to say they have built a great car, right now undoubtedly the car to beat. I think that is clear. Kimi is growing and Russell is a certainty. I think this year it will be tough for the others to beat them, but you never know. The championship is so long that anything can happen. For the moment they are very strong, I have to say I see them in good shape.”
Do you think Kimi is surprising people, or was this growth expected? Even if it is better not to make proclamations...
“Well, I have to say that Toto Wolff perhaps believed in Kimi’s growth more than I did. As a father I am not too biased; perhaps I have always been a bit sceptical about my son’s real potential because you are always afraid that he might not be as strong as he should be. So I am always very cautious when giving positive comments or making proclamations.”
But things are going well...
“True, now Kimi is doing well, even beyond expectations. But I think he still needs to grow: in one year of Formula 1 you cannot learn what the other drivers, his rivals, have learned in six, eight or ten years.”
He is leading the F1 World Championship and you think he still needs to grow?
“Personally, I believe he still has a lot to learn and I think he can only do that over the next few years. He will need time, that is normal. I think he will be truly ready in a few years.”
You and Toto Wolff have always been certain of Kimi’s strength, even in the face of difficulties or criticism, as happened last season. Was it difficult to manage those moments?
“I think that when you are in a position like Kimi was last year, under the spotlight, as a rookie in a team like Mercedes, in place of Lewis Hamilton and with so much pressure on you, there are always many doubts or criticisms. You wonder whether you will be capable or not, fast or not. Along his path he had negative moments, but that is normal for a driver at the beginning, especially in those conditions.”
A difficult phase that required great mental strength to come through...
“To be honest, I always thought he could come through it. Then, thinking he can win a World Championship is a completely different matter, he still has everything to prove. But, going back to the question, I always thought he could do well. Let’s say that last year’s difficult moments were only a passing phase.”
How do you assess Toto Wolff’s work alongside Kimi? From the outside, it looks as if he almost considers him an “adopted son”...
“Toto is great, in everything. Both for being where he is and for having done what he has done in his life. He is great. A very balanced person, a man who measures everything, who has a lot of experience and is also a family man himself. Let’s say we could not have ended up better than this, Kimi could not have ended up better.”
Speaking about what happens away from the track, what do you think is Kimi’s secret as a person?
“Kimi is a normal guy, who goes bowling with his friends, who, if he meets people in the street, goes with them to the pub in San Marino. He is a guy who wants to be among people, have fun, and not think only about F1. He is a very normal guy who knows that this is his job and treats it as such. Period. It is as if he had to drive a bus, except he drives an F1 car.”
One like the others, then.
“Exactly, he is a guy like the others, like many, like everyone. He is a guy who wants to spend time with his friends when he has free time, to do what all boys his age do. Perhaps his strength is precisely his normality.”
As a family you are a discreet but constant presence: how are you experiencing this explosion in popularity?
“I live my life, nothing has changed compared to before. I work every day, I do what I have always done and what I like. My life has not changed. Perhaps this is also a secret that keeps us united. Luckily we have fantastic children, also in terms of relationships, and we have always got along, we get along. Everyone does their own thing, we do not let it go to our heads, we keep our feet on the ground, we know very well that today you are on top of the world, but tomorrow you are underground. You must always be measured and calm. We live this moment in a normal way and we also know that this is Kimi’s job. Each of us does their part in the family and we move forward like all other families.”
We thank Marco Antonelli and Mercedes for their courtesy and availability. Partial reproduction of this exclusive is possible with prior citation of the author and of the source Formula1.it, with a link to the original content.
