Mercedes F1 star unveils SNEAKY pit-lane tactics

Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Mercedes F1 star unveils SNEAKY pit-lane tactics

Kimi Antonelli managed to get inside the paddock at the 2014 German Grand Prix

Kevin McKenna

Wednesday 23 July 2025 11:57 Updated: 12:40

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Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli has shared details of how he managed to find a sneaky way to break the rules on his first visit to the pit lane.

The rookie is midway through his first campaign in the sport having been selected as the man to replace seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows.

And he hasn't looked out of place amongst the best drivers in the world, picking up 63 points in 12 outings to date.

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The 18-year-old had been tipped for big things in F1 throughout his rise up the ranks, and has been supported all the way by his father Marco, who has been involved in motorsport for several decades.

And it was he who gave the young star his first taste of life in the F1 paddock, albeit in unusual circumstances.

When asked by Mercedes' Instagram team to provide the context around a photo of him sitting inside a tyre trolley, he said: "Yeah I remember this very well.

"It was back in 2014 during the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. My dad was there with his Porsche team and he was running the team.

"During the Porsche session, I really wanted to go in the pit lane but I was too little so my dad found this kind of solution which obviously was not very legal as I just got through.

"He hid me inside the tyre trolley, and because I was so small, I could fit and on top he put an umbrella so we didn't look suspicious."

Kimi Antonelli is midway through his maiden campaign in F1

Antonelli enjoys first taste of F1 life

He continued: "Eventually I got through and I was able to stay in the pit lane and then I also had the chance to stay in one of the F1 garages which was super cool.

"So it was definitely good fun. I remember being a bit stressed going through the gate because I thought they would find me but I was able to sneak through and eventually see the session from there."

Despite making a surprisingly strong start to the year, Antonelli has finished just two of his last six races.

He heads into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix looking to turn his fortunes around after having failed to score a single point since securing a maiden podium finish in Canada on June 15.

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