Mercedes scout Gwen Lagrue flew to Italy to check out Antonelli after the manufacturer heard about the young driver. Mercedes ultimately put together a testing programme for him spanning 20-odd days in cars a couple of years old at tracks all over the world to prepare him for his Formula 1 debut in 2025.
During one early season, Antonelli ended up driving a kart with less power than those of his rivals. Marco had told Kimi this would be good for him, advising him to focus not on the result, but on how to improve and always push hard.
Marco Antonelli recalled that his son tried a go-kart for the first time when he was five years old and immediately demonstrated an awareness of racing lines, braking points, and car control.
Mercedes team members noted that they were all keen to just go with Kimi, which they knew was a bit of a risk.
Mercedes put together a testing programme for him, 20-odd days in cars a couple of years old at tracks all over the world to prepare him for his F1 debut in 2025.
At 15, Antonelli was ready to move up to cars, and, as a final preparation, did a couple of races in a karting category with gears.