(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli was already celebrated as a “prodigy” before his Formula 1 career. Although the 19-year-old Italian’s debut season did not go quite as Mercedes had hoped, his potential was already unmistakable in karting.
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This assessment is shared by current NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch. “I raced against him for three or four years,” the American recalls in the current Gypsy Tales Podcast. “I always knew he would make it to Formula 1. I just knew it.”
“He’s one of those who always perseveres and is always at the front, no matter the set-up, the track, or the conditions. And he was one of those drivers who, no matter the situation, whether it was practice or a heat or whatever, was always at the front. He could just push his kart to the absolute limit.”
Kimi Antonelli swaps engine with teammate
Zilisch remembers a humorous episode from their time together in karting: “He came to America to compete in a race in Miami. One of my best friends was his teammate. He and his father thought it was all down to his engine.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: His path to Formula 1
“The kid was like: ‘Man, it must be his engine.’ So Kimi actually swapped engines with this kid.” Nevertheless, Antonelli was significantly faster than his teammate in the race. “That was just an example of how you often don’t realize how much of a difference he really makes until you do something like that,” says Zilisch.
“You just assume it’s the equipment, and then he says: ‘Okay, let’s swap then.’ They swap, and Kimi goes faster. That’s something I always point out when I think of Kimi. He gets the maximum out of everything he’s given.”
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“He’s one of the best drivers, the top 3 drivers I’ve ever raced against – purely in terms of talent,” Zilisch adds. “So I always knew he was one of the guys who would make it, just like Arvid Lindblad.” The 18-year-old Brit with Swedish roots will drive for Racing Bulls in 2026.
Zilisch: “The coolest days of my life”
“It’s crazy to see that they are now driving in Formula 1. But karting is such a cool sport.” The current NASCAR driver, who caused a stir last year with an unfortunate fall in Victory Lane, traveled specifically from the USA to Europe back then.
“I spent a lot of time in Europe. Those were some of the coolest moments of my life,” Zilisch says in retrospect. “I spent a few summers there when I wasn’t in school. I was there for three months at a time and raced against guys like Kimi Antonelli.”
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but the days and months I spent in Europe, without my parents, as a kid, riding my bike to dinner alone, those were the coolest days of my life. And at the time, I didn’t even realize how cool it was.”
“Looking back today, I see how much I learned as a child and how I matured,” emphasizes Zilisch, reminiscing: “I definitely see that time as some of the coolest days of my life.”
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