May 2, 2025 – Miami: In Florida, the language is Italian today, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinches his first-ever pole position and will start ahead of the field in this afternoon’s Sprint Race. A result that confirms, beyond any reasonable doubt, the talent of the young rookie.
One minute, twenty-six seconds and 482 milliseconds – that was the time set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli during qualifying for the Sprint Race at the Miami International Autodrome. A time that not only made the young Italian the youngest pole sitter in the history of the top category but also broke the South Beach track record set by Max Verstappen during the 2023 race. A lap that united fans and pundits alike, turning them into witnesses of a historic moment in both Formula 1 and Italian sports.
As the chequered flag dropped at the end of SQ3, tension filled the garage of car number 12 from the Brackley team, with everyone waiting to see if the two McLaren drivers would finish their laps and snatch pole from the 18-year-old from Bologna – making only his sixth Formula 1 appearance. Then came the confirmation: in tomorrow’s Sprint Race, that very young man, heir to the seat left vacant by Lewis Hamilton, would line up on the front row alongside Oscar Piastri.
And with that, the mood shifted in the Mercedes garage: Toto Wolff’s face lit up with a bright smile as he congratulated his mechanics, followed by Peter Bonnington and Marco Antonelli, Kimi’s father. Every bet placed on that diamond – now no longer raw – seemed justified to the public, erasing any lingering doubts about Antonelli’s talent and the Austrian team principal’s decision.
“Papino!” Antonelli called out as he joined his team, seeking the warmth of his father’s embrace – the man who had dreamt of this moment with him since his earliest years. “He did well,” Marco said simply at the end of qualifying, commenting on the masterpiece his son had just signed. Holding him close, fighting back tears of pride, he remembered the long hours spent on the track and simulator, the sacrifices made to smooth out the edges and shape the talent that would shine, curve after curve.
Emotion and pride also filled the hearts of the Sky Sport Italia team and Italian F1 fans – as if they were celebrating the success of a nephew, a son, or a brother. A fellow Italian bringing the Tricolore back to the top of the premier motorsport category – the first since Giancarlo Fisichella’s pole at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. How will the Sprint Race go? Anything can happen, but it almost doesn’t matter – because on the evening of May 2, Formula 1 spoke Italian once again.
Photo: Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team, Formula 1.