PREMA Powerteam announces that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will join the team for his car racing debut in the final three rounds of the Italian Formula 4 Championship. The Italian racer will make the step to single-seater competition at the Red Bull Ring only a few days after turning 15 years old.

Antonelli is regarded as one of the most outstanding drivers of his generation. Born in Bologna, he quickly made a name for himself in kart competition with countless wins and titles. A fierce competitor, he immediately captivated the interest of the Formula One paddock and was soon signed as a Mercedes-Benz Junior by the world champion Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

His karting accolades include - but are not limited to - winning the WSK Champions Cup and the ROK Cup in the Mini class, the WSK Open Cup, Euro Series, Final Cup, and Super Master Series in OKJ, the WSK Euro Series, and FIA European Championship in OK.

With the goal of making a full-time run in Italian Formula 4 in 2022, he will now kickstart his preparations by gaining crucial experience during the remainder of the 2021 season.

Angelo Rosin - Team Principal

"Antonelli is one of the most outstanding prospects in karting competition. He has impressed since a very early age and achieved remarkable success there. It will be very interesting for us to see him adapt to a new form of motor racing. Moving up to single-seaters is never an easy task as it's a comprehensively new experience, so we are going to assist him in the transition. We are equally looking forward to his competitive F4 debut.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

“I am really happy to announce that I will join Prema in these last 3 races of the Italian F4 Championship. This is an exciting new challenge for me and I can’t wait to start. A big thanks to Prema and Mercedes for giving me this amazing opportunity.”