Young Mercedes-AMG driver banned from driving supercar – too powerful

18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, making his debut for Mercedes-AMG in the 2025 Formula One season, received a luxury gift from the team – an AMG GT 63 S coupe in a special Motorsport Collectors Edition. But his joy was short-lived: back home in Italy, Antonelli won’t be able to drive his supercar for at least the next three years.

Italian laws against “rookie drivers”

As of December 2024, Italy’s updated traffic rules limiting the power of cars available to novice drivers have come into effect. According to the new requirements, you can’t drive a car if its specific power exceeds 75 kW per ton, equivalent to 102 horsepower.

The problem is that the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S is significantly over the limit: Its V8 engine makes 612 horsepower, with a specific output of an impressive 322 hp per ton. Antonelli won’t receive his driver’s license until January 2025, so he’ll only be able to drive relatively “quiet” cars in Italy until 2028.

In Formula One, in the lead, but banned in life

The paradox of the situation emphasizes the contrast: on the Formula 1 tracks Antonelli fights for positions with the world’s most experienced drivers, but in everyday life he has no right to drive his own car. But outside Italy he will be able to drive without restriction – in countries where there are no such bans.

Despite his rookie status, Kimi has already surprised the sporting community. He has scored points consistently in the first three races of the season, and at the Japanese Grand Prix he even took the lead after a series of pit stops to become the youngest driver to lead the race.

School exams are another test for the champion

The unexpected difficulty for Kimi was not the race track, but… school. The driver has admitted that, alongside his F1 debut, he is finishing his studies and preparing for his final exams. To find time for this in a schedule of 24 stages is not an easy task.

“It would be stupid to drop out of school at the finish line. Oh, and my mom is worried, so I’m doing it for her, too,” Antonelli shared in one of his podcasts.

That’s a respectable approach, especially considering that even reigning champion Max Verstappen started his F1 career at age 17 – before he even got his driver’s license.