Antonelli still gets pocket money: He has to save some of it, says his mum

A child who became world champion? When Kimi Antonelli celebrated his first title in Mexico, Formula 1 put on a lovely ceremony attended by his parents and sister. Their family embrace showed that Kimi is still just a boy who has had to grow up very quickly. But that transition to adulthood is not yet complete.

Kimi still officially lives with his parents. He has not moved to Monaco and we have yet to hear of any extravagant antics, unless we count his hair dyed in the colours of the Italian flag. Antonelli will certainly soon be earning serious money and will no doubt reward himself for his hard work by buying plenty of nice things.

Although Kimi became one of the lowest-paid world champions this year and his Mercedes contract undoubtedly represents good value for the team, it will certainly include generous bonuses. Some established rules in the Antonelli household, however, apply regardless of whether their son is world champion.

“I transfer allowance to him every month, and he has to make it last,” Kimi’s mother Veronica told La Repubblica. The interview did not reveal whether his mother is “just” managing her son’s money and giving it to him in instalments, or whether he still receives money from his parents. At 20, however, he is well past the legal age of adulthood and can manage his own money independently.

“We’ve agreed on a budget for Kimi, and he has to learn to stick to it. I told him that if he wants to go on holiday but has already spent all his money in the preceding months, he’ll have to work something out for himself,” said the world champion’s mother.

Surprising though it may sound, Kimi does not come from a wealthy background. His father Marco worked as a mechanic and later founded a racing team, while his mother Veronica worked as a postal clerk and grew up in a farming family. She is one of the few people who calls her son Andrea rather than Kimi.

Veronica often accompanied her partner Marco, who is nine years her senior, to circuits. They never married, but raised their son together at home and at racetracks. “In fact, I don’t even think of him as a Formula 1 driver. To me, he’s just my little mouse,” says his proud mother.

“When we first started travelling from circuit to circuit, I did the shopping and cooked for the team. Marco drove the truck, and I had to keep him awake on those long journeys. I used to push Kimi around in his pram behind the race cars. People thought I was a terrible mother. And yet he would fall fast asleep,” says Veronica.

Even now, she does for Kimi what most mothers of 20-year-old sons do – cooks for him, does his washing, tidies up and continues to bring him up. And there is one more thing she has to keep an eye on. “He’s not interested in fame, money or clothes. Sometimes I practically have to beg him to send me a photo of what he’s planning to wear to an event. He’d happily turn up to a wedding in shorts.” she says with a smile.

There is, however, one thing that interests Kimi more than anything else and on which he would happily spend his money. “Cars,” said Veronica. “Oh yes, he loves cars. Every so often, he mentions that he’d like to buy one. We just tell him we’ll see.” We do know, however, that Kimi has been allowed a Mercedes company car to use.

No article about Kimi’s family would be complete without mentioning his 11-year-old sister Maggie. She is undoubtedly the newly crowned world champion’s favourite person in the world. Given their age gap, Kimi comes across as a caring older brother around her. Cameras have often captured them arriving in the paddock hand in hand.

Their mother also says they have a wonderful relationship. “She worships him. She’s very bright, too. If she wants something from him, she knows exactly how to talk him round in just a few words,” said Veronica.

“No, thankfully, she’s not interested in cars. We’ve already got more than enough on our plates. She does rhythmic gymnastics,” their contented mother added.