Kimi Antonelli’s Mumbai connection

Did you know Formula Onersquos newest world champion Kimi Antonelli has a Mumbai connectionLast weekend Mercedes star Antonelli at 20 years and 68 days entered the history books as F1rsquos youngest world champion However long before Antonelli graduated to the pinnacle of motorsport he had a significant association with an Indian outfit that carried Mumbairsquos name on the international racing circuit The Italian raced for Mumbai Falcons and won the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship FRMEC marking a crucial milestone in his journey towards F1 gloryMumbai Falcons Racing Limited was cofounded by entrepreneur Ameet Gadhoke in November 2019 alongside Navjeet Singh Gadhoke and Teja Ranade Gadhoke with the vision to develop Indiarsquos motorsport ecosystem and create pathways for emerging racing talent The racing outfit remains proud of nurturing international racing talent including Antonelli during his formative years It has also strengthened its global presence through its association with the FIA Karting World Championships and a collaboration with Formula One for the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026 As per Gadhoke their sole ambition is to identify nurture and support Indiarsquos next generation of racing talentAntonellirsquos rise in competitive racing began with the Italian F4 title in 2021 followed by the ADAC F4 championship in 2022 He then clinched the FRMEC crown with Mumbai Falcons in 2023 before winning the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Racing the same year In 2024 he graduated to Formula 2 before making his F1 debut with Mercedes in 2025Remarkably Antonelli was just 16 when he delivered the goods for Mumbai Falcons But even then he was already regarded as one of the brightest prospects in junior motorsport being an essential part of the Mercedes junior programmeThe 2023 FRMEC featured 15 races across circuits in Dubai Kuwait and Abu Dhabi Antonelli delivered three victories and seven podium finishes accumulating 192 points to finish 40 clear of British rival Taylor Barnard who managed 152One of the defining moments came in Kuwait where Antonelli registered backtoback victories in the second round He followed that up with another win in Dubai to strengthen his grip on the championship By the time the series reached its concluding round at Abu Dhabirsquos Yas Marina Circuit in February the Italian was firmly in control of the title race Although a penalty over an incident involving Barnard complicated his final round Antonelli did enough to seal the championship with a race to spare Mumbai Falcons also won the teamsrsquo championship completing a memorable doubleThe achievement was significant for the youngster as it provided an indication of his ability to adapt quickly to different cars circuits and competitive environments Thatrsquos probably the reason why Mercedes put him into their F1 cockpit after just one season in F2 where he finished sixth The fact that they made him replace none other than seventime F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton speaks volumes of their trust in the youngster And almost fittingly the superstar British driver hoisted Antonelli on his shoulders after the Mexico City GP last weekend where a thirdplace finish behind racewinner Max Verstappen and secondplaced Hamilton was enough for the Italian to seal his maiden F1 titleAntonelli delivered nine Grand Prix wins and finished on the podium in all but two races he completed showcasing remarkable consistency and maturity to clinch the title with as many as four races remainingHowever even as the bubbles in Antonellirsquos celebratory champagne glass are yet to settle therersquos already talk of him moving in the near future to the team he has been a fan of since childhood mdash Ferrari In a 2024 interview with Sky Sport Antonelli had admitted his love and pride for the Italian giants ldquoI was a Ferrari fan but now obviously I think about Mercedes When I was little I was a fan of the Prancing Horse and I really liked Sebastian VettelrdquoInterestingly in 2018 Ferrarirsquos then team principal Maurizio Arrivabene had hesitated in investing in a then 11yearold Antonelli and Mercedesrsquos Toto Wolff swooped in In an interview earlier this year Arrivabene revealed that Ferrari lacked the structure to manage a young Antonelli nine years ago but insisted that ldquoKimi is still only 19 so I believe he will have plenty of time to bring a world championship home for us even if hersquos sitting in a Ferrari one dayrdquoIrrespective of what the future holds for young speed demon Antonelli Mumbai Falcons remains an interesting chapter in the story of how an Italian teenager took his first major steps towards becoming a Formula One world championmiddayrsquos Sports Editor Ashwin Ferro loves to play ball fair and square and everywhereHe tweets ashwinferro Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper