Antonelli - the boy 'born in a garage' who started driving on dad's lap

Kimi Antonelli, now a 19-year-old Formula 1 champion, was born in a garage according to his father Marco. The garage was the home of Marco's Lamborghini sports car team, where the young Kimi first discovered his passion for racing. At just 10 years old, Marco noticed Kimi's exceptional talent when they were at the Adria circuit in north-east Italy.

Marco strapped himself and Kimi into the Lamborghini, with Kimi controlling the car while Marco managed the throttle and brake. Kimi's performance was flawless, managing oversteer and changing gears perfectly. Marco, impressed by his son's abilities, knew he had something special.

Marco, a former racing driver himself, had faced his own struggles in the racing world. After his own career ended, he was worried that Kimi might relive his own unsuccessful pursuit of a professional racing career. Despite this, he couldn't deny his son's natural talent for racing. Kimi began karting at the age of five and showed an innate understanding of racing lines, braking points, and car control.

Kimi's skills quickly gained attention in the racing community. When he was 11, he was scouted by Mercedes, which led to him becoming a member of the Mercedes driver academy. Mercedes was one of many big-name F1 teams that recognized Kimi's potential. By the time he was 15, Kimi was ready to move up to cars, and he did so with minimal pre-event testing, taking pole position in his debut race. He went onto win the world final, securing pole position again.