Sports
F1 teenager Kimi Antonelli just got his driver’s license — right on time to replace Lewis Hamilton
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was more nervous than he had been for some time. A racing driver’s career can often hinge on sliding doors moments such as these.
The 18-year-old wasn’t trying to secure a Formula One drive. He completed that mission months ago when he signed with Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton.
He was about to sit his driving test.
Thirty minutes later, the Italian teenager beamed beneath his mop of curly hair and raised a thumb to the camera. He’d passed — first time, of course. There would be no need to squeeze in another test between the hectic travel demands of the F1 calendar. And the ‘honor’ of being an active F1 driver without a road license — once true of Max Verstappen, who debuted at age 17 — will not apply to Antonelli.
It was an early dose of pressure handled well by the driver who will debut for Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, stepping into the cockpit vacated by Hamilton, a seven-time world champion 21 years Antonelli’s senior.
Antonelli knows he cannot expect to emulate Hamilton’s 12-year run at Mercedes, which yielded six world championships and 84 race wins to become the most successful driver-team partnership in F1 history. But he is taking in all the support he can ahead of his debut season.
“I’m the next Mercedes driver and I’m taking the seat of someone who made history in the sport, so it’s a big privilege,” Antonelli told The Athletic in an interview. “It’s a big responsibility, but I’ve got the right people around me.”
Cars have always been a central part of Antonelli’s life.
His father, Marco, watched how young Kimi played with toy cars and decided to take him go-karting at five.
Kimi instantly fell in love with the sensation of speed. (Antonelli goes by his middle name, which has no connection to the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.) Yet Marco, who still races in sportscars with his own GT team, Antonelli Motorsport, which competes across Europe, was initially wary of pursuing it too seriously. He didn’t want Kimi to get hurt in what can be a ruthless world.
“Sometimes motorsport can be cruel,” Antonelli said. “He was afraid that I would have been too hurt from disappointment, so he wanted to avoid that. But seeing that I really loved driving and really loved the sport, he decided to give it a go. He could see, without me really telling him, that I had the passion for motorsport.”
That love was furthered by father-and-son Sundays spent watching F1 races together. While Antonelli would have grown up watching Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, his racing heroes are from much further back. His dad showed him the famous race between Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux at Dijon in 1979, regarded by many as the greatest on-track battle of all time, which gave him an appreciation of the sport’s history from a young age.
“It was just amazing,” Antonelli said. “You see how different it was, compared to now, the safety, the cars. You also appreciate the way the drivers were still battling on track despite knowing that the cars were not as safe as today. They were still going for it and you really appreciate seeing those battles.”
Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna emerged as Antonelli’s favorite drivers, in part thanks to their tenacious style on the track. “Ayrton is my hero, but Villeneuve, now I understand why my dad was such a big fan of him,” Antonelli said. “He was a lion on the track.”
After first using 12 as his racing number in Formula Four, Antonelli chose it for his F1 debut season as a nod to Senna, who raced with 12 through the first four years of his career, including his first championship season in 1988. By coincidence, Villeneuve also raced with 12 in 1978 and 1979.
While the history lessons Antonelli received as a child furthered his passion off the track, on the track, he quickly excelled, rising up the go-karting ladder. His progress put him on the radar of top talent scouts, among whom was Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes’ junior guru. This led to Antonelli meeting Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff at age 11 before signing to its young driver program at 13.
It was Antonelli’s character as well as his ability that impressed Wolff. By the time he stepped up to single-seaters and continued winning everything he laid his hands upon, including both the Italian and German F4 titles in his first year before the Formula Regional title in 2023, it was clear the teenager had the makings of something special. In the long term, a place in the future Mercedes F1 lineup alongside George Russell has always been in the mind of the team’s management. It was just a matter of timing.
When Hamilton, who many expected would end his career at Mercedes, revealed last January that he would be leaving for Ferrari in 2025, it took Wolff five minutes to decide Antonelli, then just 17, would be the man to replace him.
“We have a great relationship, not only professionally, but also outside of the track,” Antonelli said of Wolff. “He’s a great guy, really supportive during great moments but also during difficult moments. I’m super happy to be with him. He’s been giving me a lot of help.”
Wolff has even entrusted Antonelli with teaching his six-year-old son, Jack, how to go-kart. “He’s not bad, he’s been improving quite a lot,” Antonelli said. “Every test, he was getting better and better. It was nice to see.”
Antonelli leaves his car after crashing during his first practice session, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in 2024 (Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images)
The one thing both Wolff and Mercedes have been eager to avoid is putting too much pressure or expectation on Antonelli. A crash just minutes into his first F1 practice outing at Monza, one day before he was announced in the 2025 seat, was brushed off as part of the learning curve. Mercedes doesn’t expect an 18-year-old to replicate what Hamilton achieved.
Debuting for such a high-profile team at such a young age is rare in F1. Typically, young drivers will get their first opportunity further down the grid to learn the ropes and make a name for themselves before proving they are ready for a top seat. Russell spent three years at Williams before getting the Mercedes drive. Red Bull initially placed Verstappen at its sister team, Toro Rosso, before promoting him during his second season.
The one great, successful exception to the rule in recent F1 history is the man Antonelli will replace: Hamilton. He was given a McLaren seat for his debut season in 2007 and came within one point of winning the championship as a rookie. It’s an impossibly high bar, one there is no expectation for Antonelli to meet.
Antonelli’s youth meant his step up to F1 required an extra degree of preparation. Alongside his Formula Two racing commitments last year, he conducted an extensive amount (just under 20 days) of private testing in old cars, with his pace impressing the engineering team. Antonelli was also able to embed himself with the Mercedes engineering crew at races through the second half of the season, getting to know the voices and faces he will lean upon through 2025.
Antonelli feels a responsibility not only toward Mercedes but also toward his native Italy. While the nation has a rich, unparalleled history in motorsport, with Ferrari becoming a de facto national team, it has not produced a world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 nor a grand prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella’s last success in 2006 with Renault.
“There’s a lot more hype around, of course, heading into next season,” Antonelli said. “Definitely, you feel a bit of responsibility because you know you’ve got Italy behind you. Everyone expects me to be successful, especially because I’ll be racing a Mercedes.
“But it’s also really exciting. I cannot wait for next year to get started and also I cannot wait for my home race at Imola. I would love to see so many Italians cheering.” The swathes of red for Ferrari that typically cover the grandstands at Imola may well be interspersed with Mercedes’ silver and black this year.
At Imola, Monza and beyond, the adjustment to fame will be hard for Antonelli to truly prepare for until it happens. He’s already getting recognized a lot more. Fans stopped him every few steps as he walked through Milan Malpensa airport last year off his flight from Heathrow; Antonelli graciously paused for selfies each time. He admitted it felt “a bit strange” to begin with, but he knows it’s part of the job. “When you get used to it, it’s normal.”
Antonelli, 18, and Bearman, 19, will join the F1 grid this year. (Joe Portlock / Getty Images)
Normal in F1, yes, but Antonelli is still a teenager — part of F1’s new wave of talent that has transformed the look and dramatically reduced the average age of the grid for 2025. Away from racing, he enjoys playing padel (the hobby of choice for much of the grid) and has already enjoyed some spirited matches with his new teammate, Russell. But he also likes to keep sharp by go-karting or even doing sim racing with his friends.
An endearing element of Antonelli’s rise last year was his friendship with his F2 teammate Ollie Bearman, who will also graduate to F1 this year with Haas. Both racing for Prema, they made several fun social media videos together and struck up a good relationship away from the track. It’s something Antonelli hopes can be of help to them both as they make the leap to F1.
“He’s a great guy, he’s quick,” Antonelli said of Bearman. “I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m happy to be sharing the grid with him next year. Because we’re going to be new next year, especially at the start, just the fact we’ve known each other and we’ve been racing together, it will help.”
When it comes to handling the leap up to F1, Antonelli will look to all the support he can get. While he will be one of six full-season rookies on the F1 grid this year, he and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, who already has 11 races to his name, are likely to draw the most attention for the fact they’re with front-running teams that won races last year.
It makes the preparations for Antonelli all the more important. Mercedes will start 2025 trying to find the consistency it lacked for so much of last year. Russell will morph into the role of team leader following Hamilton’s departure, but for Antonelli, it’s all about getting the basics right and not letting the occasion over-awe him. “It’s going to be a big season ahead,” Antonelli said.
Now, with his driver’s license, F1’s youngest driver is ready for anything.
(Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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ATLANTA — The FBI and Atlanta Police Department are getting ready for a massive security operation ahead of the World Cup semifinals between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium.
Both agencies have used drones to search for potential threats on the ground and in the sky. The FBI is enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration’s Temporary Flight Restrictions around the venue.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones nationwide since the World Cup began. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office Marlo Graham said 86 of those drones were seized in Atlanta.
Graham said the FBI uses a “mechanism” that allows agents to see unauthorized drones in restricted airspace. Agents then work to mitigate the threat posed by unknown drones.
“We’ve been able to safely land drones that have been unauthorized in the flight restricted area,” Graham said.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones at World Cup events since the tournament started. (FBI Atlanta)
While the FBI treats every drone as a potential threat, Graham said the threat level can increase depending on the size of the drone and how close it gets to the stadium.
“Obviously, the closer to the venue, the larger the crowd. We are fortunate here in Atlanta that we have a closed dome stadium,” Graham said. “We don’t want the game to be impacted because a hobbyist couldn’t control their drone, and it lands right when one of our star players was getting ready to score a goal.”
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The Atlanta Police Department’s Drone Unit has helped the FBI track down people suspected of flying in restricted zones.
Sgt. Kindu Franklin said most of the people caught flying drones around World Cup venues are hobbyists with no intent to harm the crowd of soccer fans below.
“In some cases, they just recently bought a drone just for FIFA to get some of the cool footage that they want to put up on their social media,” Franklin said. “There are different ways that you can weaponize these drones. So, we’re operating in a proactive manner.”
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission at the World Cup focuses on surveillance. (FOX)
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission is focused on surveillance. Officers are looking for potential threats, traffic issues and people the FBI suspects are flying drones illegally.
“So, what we want to do is give our command staff a view that they can’t get from the ground,” Sgt. James Cunningham with APD’s Drone Unit said.
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Cunningham’s unit can launch drones remotely from handheld controllers. Other drones are launched from docking stations strategically placed across the city, and officers control them from the back of an SUV using a computer and a PlayStation controller.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks strategically placed across the city. They are controlled by a computer and a PlayStation controller. (Fox News)
The drone docks are used year-round to help the police get an aerial view of emergency situations before officers arrive. The computer shows the drone pilot where all the police body cameras and vehicles are in the area, allowing them to communicate better with officers on the ground.
For the World Cup, the drone docks let the department have more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster.
“It’s going to cut down time. We’re going to get there quick. And then you’re going to get an aerial perspective of what you can’t see on the ground,” Cunningham said.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks to get more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster. (Fox News)
Cunningham said the drone unit has completed more than 1,400 flights and logged more than 550 flight hours since the beginning of June.
“Some people haven’t even done that in years or haven’t even reached those numbers in the life of their drone unit,” Cunningham said.
“We train for the environment. We live here, so we know what to expect,” Anais Paredes, an APD drone pilot, said.
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The FBI is asking that hobbyist drone pilots know the Temporary Flight Restrictions in their area before taking off.
There is a one-mile restriction around World Cup stadiums on non-match days, and a three-mile restriction on game day.
LAS VEGAS — From the time Austin Reaves joined the Lakers in 2021 as an undrafted prospect, his basketball life centered around playing with a savant in LeBron James.
That no longer will be the case.
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180-million deal, but James decided to move on as he prepares to play an unprecedented 24th season.
Reaves was stunned when he heard about James’ decision while playing golf in Lake Tahoe. Nearly two weeks later, Reaves says he still is trying to process the development.
“I kind of was thinking about it last night when I got here,” Reaves said Monday in his first news conference since re-signing. “Starting the season without him being on the team is going to be different for me. He’s kind of all I’ve ever known. Just him being around, joking around, acting like he’s 15. But that’s his decision and like I said in Tahoe, anytime I’ve talked about it, I got nothing but love and respect for him and yeah, let’s play some golf soon.”
The contract Reaves signed was the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player. At 28 and entering his sixth season, Reaves wanted to stay in L.A.
“I wanted to be a Laker the whole time. We had that period from when the season ended until the first [of July] to get something done and we figured it out before then,” he said. “My heart was in L.A. the whole time.”
Reaves will become one of the de facto leaders of the Lakers along with Luka Doncic. The two once again will be one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA.
“Obviously my relationship with the guys that were on the team last year,” Reaves said of why he wanted to stay. “And then Luka. I mean, he’s one of my best friends on this planet. Talk to him almost every single day. He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better and I tell him I’m not a coach.”
The Lakers have overhauled the roster: All the players who started alongside Reaves in the playoffs last spring are gone. With the signing of former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams on Monday, the Lakers have eight new players, all of them arriving either via trades, free agency or the draft.
“They’re good,” Reaves said of the moves. “Obviously, I’ve been with the guys that are leaving for a couple years and with Bron for five years and I hate to see guys like that go. But the pieces that are coming in, I’m very excited about and I’m happy to get started today and see where it goes.”
Walker Kessler dunks during a game between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers on March 23.
(Rob Gray / Associated Press)
One of those new players is Walker Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center the Lakers felt fit best around Doncic and Reaves because he’s a lob threat, rim-protector and good defender and is developing his three-point shooting.
The Lakers got him from the Utah Jazz in a trade and then signed him to a four-year, $130-million contract. The Lakers sent out two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030).
Kessler, who played only five games last season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, is aware the Lakers paid a big price to get him.
“It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you,” Kessler said Monday in his introduction. “And I think what they’ve invested, they’re showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but like you said, assets. And for me, I’m somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, I’m gonna run through a brick wall for them. That’s just how I’ve been wired my whole life and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go out there and compete for a team.”
Power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili could become a fan favorite, in part because of the tattoo he has on his lower left leg — a No. 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant.
Mamukelashvili, who signed a four-year, $52-million deal, averaged 11.2 points last season with the Toronto Raptors and shot 52.3% from the field, including 38.9% from three-point range.
“I got a Mamba Mentality tattoo. I just love his mindset,” Mamukelashvili said. “Growing up, I used to always say, “Mah-moo Mentality!’ So, I know it’s a little far from each other. But we are getting closer.”
When guard Collin Sexton, another new Laker, was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, James left and signed with the Lakers. When Sexton signed a two-year, $19-million deal with the Lakers this month, James left again.
Sexton could only laugh about missing out on playing with James.
“He’s just leaving every time I arrive,” Sexton said, laughing. “That’s what it is. No, but one of the other coaches made the same joke yesterday. It’s cool, I know. I’ve always wanted to team up with him for sure, but it’s definitely cool knowing him and just having normal conversations and stuff, so that’s cool.”
Sexton averaged 15.4 points and shot 48.5% last season with Chicago and Charlotte. He’s ready for whatever role coach JJ Redick and the Lakers want for him.
“They believe in me,” he said. “And I just feel like at the end of the day, whenever a coach believes in you and like he said, he’s going to be hard on me and yelling and screaming at me. So, I like that. I think that’s what gets the best from me.”
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WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.
The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston – the home of the Astros – on Saturday, Nov. 28. It follows up the success of last year’s Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego – the home of the Padres.
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Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
“Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series’ storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a news release.
WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022. The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.
Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world. Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match. Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.
It’s unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.
“We are proud to be able to help bring one of the world’s premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.
Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio celebrate their win during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
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“Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community. Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.”
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