Kimi Antonelli's father had 'clear the air talks' with Mercedes after F1 absence

Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton and Bono all embracing on the 2026 Chinese GP podium — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli's father had 'clear the air talks' with Mercedes after F1 absence

Kimi Antonelli's father was present in China in the Mercedes hospitality suite

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 19 March 2026 18:55

An F1 journalist has suggested that Kimi Antonelli's father held 'clear the air talks' with Mercedes so that he could appear at the Chinese Grand Prix.

19-year-old Antonelli became the youngest pole sitter in F1 history last weekend with a brilliant lap which beat team-mate George Russell and Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The young Italian then went on to claim a maiden career grand prix victory, highlighting that he is ready to mount a serious championship challenge in 2026 up against Russell.

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And the scenes following the race were emotional, with Antonelli embracing his father Marco Antonelli in the aftermath of his brilliant victory.

Antonelli senior was present in the paddock with Mercedes for the full weekend in China, and was seen chatting with his son's boss Toto Wolff.

Now, an F1 journalist has said that this was quite an unusual sight, in that Antonelli senior was not around in the Mercedes hospitality for much of his son's rookie season, suggesting that a rift had formed between Mercedes and the young Italian's father.

Jacky Martens told the Paddock Access podcast: "I want to dig a little deeper into the Antonellis because it’s quite an interesting story.

"Last season, something must have happened because at some point in the second half. The father, we didn’t see him in the hospitality at Mercedes anymore, which is quite strange, especially when your son is that young like Kimi.

"You want to be as close as possible in these situations," Martens continued. "So that, to me, was very interesting.

"I saw Marco Antonelli in the paddock from time to time, but he was never at Mercedes; he was always at the hospitality of Formula 1, and something has changed in the winter.

"I don’t know what happened, but definitely conversations have been made between the Antonelli side and also between Mercedes, because we saw Marco Antonelli, we saw him at Mercedes, we saw him hugging Toto Wolff.

"So, I think they cleared the air over there, and then this all happens, Kimi taking his first victory, while his father was there, that makes it even better."

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Antonelli's rise and rise

Antonelli was just 18 last year when he was completing his rookie season, and some brilliant performances were mixed in with some rookie errors and poor runs of form.

It eventually culminated in him finishing down in seventh in the drivers' championship, but his end to the season was promising, picking up two podiums in the final four grands prix of the season.

And that form has continued into 2026, with the Italian already a race winner this year and just four points behind Russell at the top of the championship.

With it just being his second year in the sport, we can expect some inconsistencies in his performances as the year progresses once again, but he certainly has the talent to be able to take the fight to Russell in the drivers' championship.

F1 Mercedes Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli Chinese Grand Prix