Kimi Antonelli is being sued by former manager with links to iconic F1 team

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Canada, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Kimi Antonelli is being sued by former manager with links to iconic F1 team

There seems to be drama for the championship leader away from the track

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 27 July 2026 10:55

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Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli may be looking forward to a well-earned break over the upcoming summer shutdown, but just days before the annual season recess, he finds himself at the centre of off-track drama.

The current championship leader is reportedly being sued by his former manager, Giovanni Minardi, who is the son of Gian Carlo Minardi, the man who founded the Minardi F1 team.

Minardi's story began in 1979, although the Faenza-based squad didn't enter the F1 championship as a constructor until 1985.

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Over the course of its 21-year long stint on the grid, Minardi was represented by 37 drivers, 13 of which were Italian, with the squad earning respect from fans as a cult team, kickstarting the careers of stars like Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso.

When the team faced financial trouble heading into the 2000s, Minardi was sold to Australian businessman Paul Stoddart, who ran the team for five seasons.

In 2006 however, the Minardi name disappeared from the grid altogether after Stoddart sold the squad to Red Bull GmbH in 2005. It was then renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso, and the squad we now know as Racing Bulls was born.

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Antonelli being sued by ex-manager and son of Minardi F1 team owner

Since selling Minardi, Gian Carlo moved on to work for F1's governing body as president of the FIA Single-Seater Commission. His son however was busy managing a future championship leader in the form of Antonelli.

Now 19 years old, the Italian racer is proving his worth to the Silver Arrows having been scouted by Mercedes as a young karter.

But prior to being signed by the Brackley-based F1 squad, Antonelli honed his racing craft under the watchful eye of Minardi Jr, who even suggested he could join Ferrari's young driver academy.

But in 2018, Antonelli was recruited by the German marque he currently represents in F1, joining the Mercedes Junior Programme at just 12 years old.

With that signing, Antonelli, just like his current team-mate George Russell, began to be managed by team principal Toto Wolff, leaving behind his first manager, Minardi.

Though the duo parted ways many years ago, Corriere dello Sport reported ahead of this year's Hungarian Grand Prix that a civil lawsuit had been filed by the Italian with the Bologna court for unpaid compensation and compensation for having resigned from his mandate.

The allegations date way back to activities before Antonelli's rookie F1 campaign in 2025, but the dispute began midway through last year.

Antonelli's representatives have not commented on the claims spreading in Italian media, but the above publication report 'a sense of calm' among his team, who believe they have always acted within the law.

The concerned parties are reportedly not close to reaching an agreement to settle the matter which is said to involve six-figure sums, with the requirement for Wolff to be summoned to appear at upcoming hearings currently a possibility.

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