No normal rookie: Kimi Antonelli

From the off here, we’re not talking about any other young driver debuting in Formula 1. Anyone who’s watched any lower formula race over the last four years knows how good Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli is.

A product of Mercedes’ junior set up which he joined in 2019 as a 13 year old karting sensation, the 18 year old has now made a rapid rise from Formula 4 debut in 2021 to Formula 1 pole sitter before the 2025 season has really even gotten properly interesting.

His Sprint Qualifying performance to take pole in Miami saw the young Italian beat his much more experienced teammate George Russell in any qualifying session for the first time this season and is certainly a sign of things to come.

Moments like this are no surprise to lower formula enthusiasts who have seen the youngster pull off exceptional moments and big wins ever since he first sat in a formula car and this particular moment serves to F1 viewers unfamiliar with how good he is as a ‘here I am’ moment in which he really announces himself is the potential big star for the future.

For his first pole position, he finds himself next to a fellow future, or even current star of the show for F1 in the shape of championship leader Oscar Piastri. A sign of things to come? Maybe turn 1 in Miami is a glimpse to a not too distant future…

📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.