F1 driver Kimi Antonelli races National hero Valentino Rossi in Italy

The 2025 season's youngest Formula 1 driver, Kimi Antonelli, raced against his national hero, Valentino Rossi. The Mercedes driver went go-karting with Valentino Rossi to the Migilaro Go kart track in Italy. The MotoGP legend, now a GT racing driver, accompanied the 18-year-old.

Rossi is already a nine-time world champion and a generational racer. Many got inspired by Rossi and took up racing as a career. Formula 1 driver Lando Norris is one of the biggest Valentino Rossi fans as he got interested in racing only after the Italian legend.

Kimi Antonelli is well aware of Rossi’s talent and fame. Like Rossi, he would also like to become the greatest racing driver. The Mercedes F1 team signed Kimi after Lewis Hamilton’s exit from the team in 2024. Many questioned Mercedes for signing an inexperienced driver in place of a legend.

But Antonelli proved himself in his first two races, where he scored points in both the races and helped Mercedes reach the top 2 ranking. They are now second in the Championship table next to McLaren and are expected to grow even stronger as the season progresses. 

Kimi Antonelli races Valentino Rossi

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After racing together, the two racers had a deep conversation about racing, where Rossi shared all his experiences with his fellow countryman. Antonelli is seen as the next big thing in Formula 1, and Mercedes is planning a longer term with him and developing him more as a driver. Mercedes wanted Max Verstappen as their driver after Lewis Hamilton left the team.

But the Dutchman chose to stick with the Red Bull team, so they had no choice but to sign young Kimi, who was an academy driver. Valentino Rossi is also a legend in MotoGP and one of the all-time greatest riders. Learning from him will help young Kimi to handle pressure and develop character while racing. The next race is the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place on April 6th.

Also read: ‘I have final exams. Watch: Kimi Antonelli feels F1 racing is costing him his studies.