Teen F1 Driver Started Racing at 320 km/h on Dad's Lap

A 10-year-old boy sat strapped to his father's lap inside a Lamborghini, hurtling down a racetrack at 200 mph. While dad Marco controlled the pedals, young Kimi Antonelli handled the steering and gears like he'd been doing it his whole life.

"I could only see the marker panels before each corner because he was in front of me with a helmet on," Marco Antonelli tells BBC Sport. When the car hit dangerous oversteer at the braking point, Kimi controlled it perfectly, then smoothly shifted gears and accelerated out.

Marco stopped the session immediately because it had become too dangerous. But watching the video later, he realized his son had something extraordinary.

Today, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli is dominating this year's Formula 1 championship in just his second season. His journey started even earlier than that memorable Lamborghini ride.

Kimi spent his first 15 days of life in his parents' racing garage, surrounded by engine sounds and exhaust fumes. When he was three, Marco brought home a racing simulator from a motor show, and Kimi begged to drive it every evening.

One night, Marco fell asleep at the controls after a long workday and crashed the virtual car. "Dad, dad, no sleep, no sleep. I have to drive," little Kimi protested.

Marco initially didn't want his son to race professionally. He'd come heartbreakingly close to landing his own dream racing contracts with Alfa Romeo and BMW in the 1990s, only to watch both opportunities vanish when team leadership changed.

"I suffered a lot for it," Marco admits. "I was scared that my son would relive the same situation."

But Kimi's talent was undeniable. He tried a go-kart at five and immediately demonstrated perfect racing lines and car control.

The Antonellis were a normal family without Formula 1 money. Marco planned to fund Kimi through karting and basic single-seater racing, then hopefully transition him into GT cars where sponsorship was more accessible.

Instead, Kimi started winning everything. By 11, his name buzzed through racing circles, and Mercedes flew a talent scout to Italy to watch him compete.

Why This Inspires

What makes Antonelli's story remarkable isn't just raw talent. When he was 11, he spent a season racing a kart with less power than his competitors because his father wanted him to focus on improvement over results. Mercedes scout Gwen Lagrue was impressed by how Kimi approached that disadvantage, recognizing a different mindset in the young driver.

At 15, Antonelli made his debut in a geared karting category with minimal testing. He took pole position immediately, then did it again at the world final.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the only other teenager to win an F1 race, noticed Antonelli early. "When he was in karting, you could already see he was one of the stand-out talents," Verstappen says.

Through 2022 and 2023, Antonelli swept championships in Formula 4 and Formula Regional. Now with Mercedes backing and his family's support, the boy born in a garage is writing his own racing story, one that started with a sleepy father and a determined three-year-old who just wanted to keep driving.