- Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver who clinched the 2026 Formula 1 title in Mexico City, visited the Senna family estate in Brazil two days later, per Motorsport.com.
- He sat in the Lotus 98T that Senna raced in 1986 and thanked the family for an “unforgettable day”.
- At Interlagos he will race in a Senna tribute helmet, 35 years after Senna’s first home win there in 1991.
The Champion Who Did Not Want to Leave Ayrton Senna’s World
“It was an amazing day. I actually didn’t want to leave. I tried to stay as long as I could there, because it was such a nice experience. The Senna family was very open about showing places where Ayrton used to spend most of his time. It was crazy to think.”
That is how Antonelli described his Tuesday at Fazenda Dois Lagos, the Senna family estate, to the media at Interlagos on Thursday. The Mercedes driver had clinched the title in Mexico City two days before that Tuesday, and he became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. The home he visited belonged to the family of his childhood idol.
Two Days After Mexico, a Seat in History
Antonelli did not go alone. His father, Marco, came along, and Senna’s nephew Bruno and nieces Bianca and Lalalli joined them. The family let the champion sit in the Lotus 98T that Senna raced in 1986, and Antonelli shared a photo of himself in the car with thanks to the family for an “unforgettable day”.
In 1986 Senna drove the Lotus 98T to victory in the Spanish Grand Prix by 0.014 seconds over Nigel Mansell, and he won the Detroit Grand Prix in it as well. Senna went on to win three world championships with McLaren, in 1988, 1990 and 1991, and finished his career with 41 Grand Prix victories. Antonelli, 20, sat in a car from that 1986 season as a world champion himself.
Bruno Senna kept the day going on social media. He thanked the 20-year-old on Instagram for “the karting lesson”, and the estate has its own kart track. Antonelli began karting at age five at Galliano Park in Forli.
Antonelli said the visit hit him harder than he had expected.
“I was truly emotional,” Antonelli said. “A very, very special day, a day that I will remember forever. That’s why I will always be thankful and grateful towards the Senna family for allowing me to see that, and to even sit in the car, which was very special.”
He also described what stayed with him about Senna himself.
“When I was there, I was like, ‘Wow, Ayrton was actually here. He was spending time in his room.’ It was very emotional and a very, very special day.”
A Hero From Down the Road
Antonelli was born in Bologna on 25 August 2006. Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, at the age of 34, 12 years before Antonelli arrived. Senna is Antonelli’s childhood idol, and the family estate let him see where that idol spent his time.
He joined the Mercedes junior team at age 12 and made his Formula 1 debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. This year he won the title, with a pole in Austin along the way.
The Brazilian Grand Prix gives him a chance to honor Senna at Interlagos, where Senna won. The Interlagos win of 1991 was Senna’s first at home, and the 35th anniversary of that result falls this weekend.
The Helmet and the Purple Suits
Antonelli revealed his tribute at Thursday’s media day in Sao Paulo. The one-off design draws on Senna’s iconic helmet and carries the colors of the Brazilian flag.
“This one means a lot to me,” Antonelli posted on social media alongside the special helmet design. “My special helmet for the weekend! A tribute to my idol and Brazil. I hope you guys like it as much as I do.”
He teased the tribute ahead of the weekend.
“I will have a special happening for Brazil, for Ayrton,” Antonelli said. “Also because it’s going to be 35 years ever since he won for the first time in Brazil.”
Antonelli gave his own verdict on the design.
“I think it’s one of my best helmets that I’ve made. So hopefully you guys, everyone, will like it.”
The Mercedes team will look different as well. Antonelli and fellow Mercedes driver George Russell will wear purple race suits this weekend in place of the usual black and turquoise overalls. Antonelli announced the change on Instagram.
“Inspired by the past. Built for the New. Welcome, to the Nu Era,” Antonelli wrote on Instagram. “New look for this weekend!”
He also spoke about the welcome he expects from the Brazilian crowd.
“It’s going to be a very special weekend. I’m very much looking forward to it. The support from Brazil has been incredible, not only this year but already from last year.”
The Rookie Who Doubted Himself
The champion who sat in Senna’s car had a very different year behind him. At 18 he replaced seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, and much of that rookie season was hard. Many wondered whether Mercedes had promoted him too soon, which is the story behind Wolff’s Mercedes gamble on a teenager. Antonelli asked himself the same question, and he told former F1 driver Anthony Davidson on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show how often.
“There were good moments last season, of course, a long difficult period. But, you know, even though it was very tough back then, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve been questioning myself over and over again last season during that stretch.”
He gave the team credit for the way through.
“I will always be grateful towards Mercedes, towards everyone involved in this project that started back in 2018. And also for them to put me straight into the Mercedes car last year was a big gamble.”
The attention that came with the seat made the climb steeper. Antonelli said as much.
“Going straight into Mercedes, yes, it was difficult because I was much more under the spotlight. And that made me push to try and learn even quicker. But then again, being able to overcome that moment was what really shaped me.”
What he remembers most is the support. Mercedes did not change its view of him while results lagged.
“When you know that you still got the same support, that people’s mind even hasn’t changed, going through that difficult period, that was what helped me to overcome that as well, because I knew that despite not performing at the level I should have or not performing up to the expectations, I still had the full support of the team.”
“And that made me realise that I could rely on all of them and that they will always be behind me to help me in every occasion. So that helped me as well to overcome that period and gave me the confidence as well.”
He now looks back on those months with gratitude.
“I’m actually looking back, I’m very glad that the team went through all those difficult moments because I think they shaped me,” he said. “They made me grow a lot faster. They made me mature a lot faster. And also I got to experience all kinds of situations that year, you know, the highs, the lows.”
This season brought a change, and Antonelli credited the people around him.
“I think also this year, what really helped me is that the team embraced me for who I am,” he said. “And that allowed me to be myself within the team, allowed me to have fun, of course, in the right moments at the right time. But those have helped me massively to then go in the car and be focused and do the best job I can.”
What Comes Next in Brazil
The driver who questioned himself a year ago has turned down the champion’s number 1 for 2027, and he arrives at Interlagos with the title won four races early. The Grand Prix is on Sunday. Antonelli will race it in a helmet that honors Senna, in front of the fans whose support he called incredible. Whatever the weekend brings on the track, the Tuesday at Fazenda Dois Lagos has already given him the memory he said he will keep forever.
