Kimi Antonelli receives a $215,000 car from Mercedes but is banned from driving it

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Kimi Antonelli ganha carro de US$ 215 mil da Mercedes mas fica impedido de dirigir na ItáliaKimi Antonelli receives a $215,000 car from Mercedes but is banned from driving it in Italy (Mercedes / X @MercedesAMGF1BR)

Young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli, 18 years old and recently joined the Mercedes team in Formula 1, received a luxury car from the brand, a Mercedes AMG GT 63 valued at around $215,000.

Despite the gift, he won’t be able to drive the vehicle in his home country anytime soon. That’s because Italian law prohibits drivers with less than three years of license experience from operating cars with more than 102 horsepower per ton. The model Antonelli received far exceeds that limit, with 585 hp, which means he’s not legally allowed to use it in Italy until 2028.

Kimi has an impressive motorsport trajectory. He started karting as a child, became a two-time European champion in the category, and joined Mercedes’ development program early on. He shined in the junior categories, winning Formula 4 in 2022 and the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023, before moving up to Formula 2. His performance led him to Formula 1 in 2025, replacing none other than Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, alongside British driver George Russell.

In his debut season, Antonelli is already standing out. He finished fourth in the Australian GP, eighth in China, and sixth in Japan, where he led the race for 10 laps and broke early-career records previously held by Max Verstappen.

With 30 points scored, he is currently in fifth place in the drivers’ championship, being the best-ranked rookie of the season.

Source: Auto Esporte | Photo: X @MercedesAMGF1BR | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team

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