Old grid photo of Kimi Antonelli goes viral: ‘Idols are now rivals’

Kimi Antonelli won his fourth race in a row during the recent Canadian GP. On the podium, he was in good company; none other than Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen completed the podium. Both are multiple world champions and among the most successful F1 drivers of all time. A special lineup for Antonelli, who just a few years ago was literally in the shadow of these greats, as became clear afterwards.

On social media, footage of the podium ceremony in Montreal was quickly compared to an old grid photo from 2018. It shows the driver field awaiting the Italian national anthem, just before the start of the Monza GP. Hamilton and Verstappen are, of course, also present. Traditionally, a row of children dressed in official F1 race suits stands in front of them. If you look closely, you see a now familiar face: a 12-year-old Kimi Antonelli happens to be standing right in front of Hamilton and Verstappen.

‘Idols are now rivals’

The official F1 account also widely shared the photo on its channels. “Idols are now rivals,” read the caption. At that time, no one could have guessed that the very young Italian would share the podium with these two star drivers eight years later. Antonelli was then just starting his career and was waiting for his first contract with Mercedes.

A few months later, at age 12, he was admitted to the junior program of the German racing team. This was followed by successful years in karting and titles in the Formula Regional European Championship and the Formula Regional Middle East Championship in 2023. He skipped Formula 3 and after just one season in Formula 2 was already named as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes. The rest is history.