When Kimi Antonelli talks about his meeting with Kimi Raikkonen: "I understood why he is nicknamed 'Iceman'"

The story would have been nice, but the person concerned denied it: no, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is not named in homage to Kimi Raikkonen. However, the temporality would have made this nod coherent since the Italian was born on August 26, 2006: at that time, the Finn was preparing to leave McLaren to join Ferrari and replace the legendary Michael Schumacher.

Same name, same job: 18 years later, Andrea Kimi Antonelli joins the Formula 1 also replacing a seven-time world champion. At just 18 years old, the young Italian became George Russell's teammate and took the place of Lewis Hamilton, transferred to the Scuderia. He becomes the second “Kimi” in the history of the discipline and a first meeting between the two men has already taken place. I met him when I was very young, I think it was in 2018, said Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The first time I saw him, I understood why they called him 'Iceman,' because I remember going up to him all excited and he had no reaction at all."

Antonelli would like to ask the Finn for advice

Seven years have passed since then and the Italian has made his way into the premier class of motorsport. His debut has been impressive, as he was able to score points in the first three rounds of the 2025 season, a first for a rookie since… Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Due to his age, he has renewed the records for precocity: in Japan, He became the youngest driver in history to lead a Grand Prix and set the fastest lap in the race..

So, a meeting today would certainly be more interesting between the Finn and the Italian: " I think he's a really cool guy. I've never really had a chance to chat with him, but it's definitely something I'd like to do, explained the pilot Mercedes. It would be interesting to get some advice (from Raikkonen) on racing, as he has done a lot in the sport. So it's something I would really like to do in the future." The two Kimis crossed paths last year, on the sidelines of the Italian Grand Prix, when Raikkonen visited the Mercedes garage in Monza.

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