Antonelli explains multiple driving forces behind major F1 choice

Kimi Antonelli has further outlined the factors that inspired him to select number 12 to race under in F1 as he embarks on his rookie campaign with Mercedes.

The Italian driver has primarily chosen the number to honour his racing hero, the late Ayrton Senna, from whom the #12 is heralded in F1.

The triple-F1 drivers' champion rose to race-winning prominence with the number adorned on his Lotus in the three seasons he spent with the famed team between 1985-87.

He also won his maiden title, for McLaren, racing the #12 car in his first season with the Woking-based squad, in 1988.

Antonelli, who became passionate about Senna from watching DVDs of past F1 seasons when he was growing up, wants to emulate the achievements of the Brazilian.

"It is because of Ayrton," the 18-year-old said before expanding upon the other reasons he was drawn to #12 to start his F1 journey. "But it is also the number I first used in single seaters.

"From F4 I started to use 12 straight away and it worked pretty well with that number. Hopefully I can carry that on in F1."

A third factor

Specifically, the number has already been carried to four junior championships at the hands of Antonelli, who won the Italian and German F4 crowns in 2022, before following those successes up with the European and Middle Eastern Formula Regional titles the year after.

It has been a whirlwind of a ride for Antonelli since first joining Mercedes six years ago, one that saw him skip FIA F3 altogether and spend only one season in F2 before ascending to the very top of the single-seater pyramid.

It is a journey that started at the mere age of 12, something that further builds to the myriad of reasons he was drawn to the number.

"I was also 12 years old when I joined the Mercedes junior programme, so there is that too," he added.