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Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli reportedly found a ‘loophole’ which allows him to drive a 200mph car despite it being against the law in Italy.
Antonelli, 18, is an F1 rookie and is currently in his first season as a Mercedes driver.
Considering his occupation, it is quite surprising that he only passed his driving test in January just weeks before taking part in the season’s opening race, the Australian Grand Prix.
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The Italian posted a photograph of himself to Instagram with the caption: “Mission complete,” after he secured his road licence to add to his super licence.
However, there were concerns that he may not be able to drive the Mercedes AMG GT 63 S supercar given to him by the German manufacturer whose F1 team are based in England.
This is because according to Italian law, which was introduced in December 2024, new drivers are prohibited from driving cars with 75 kW per ton during the first three years of holding a licence.
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The Mercedes in question sits above the limit, at 430 kW per ton, according to Motorsport.
So rather bizarrely, the 18-year-old is allowed to take on the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at speeds in excess of 200mph but cannot take his AMG for a spin on Italy’s roads.
But the teenager has seemingly found a way around this.
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As reported by Daily Sports, Antonelli has bypassed the rules as his driver’s license was issued in San Marino, a small republic with a population of less than 40,000 people which is surrounded by Italy.
Of course, the youngster's attention will be firmly fixed on Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, as he looks to build on his positive start to the campaign - he currently sits in fifth place in the F1 Drivers' standings after three races.
“So far I think [things] went pretty well," Antonelli told media on Thursday.
“The thing I was the happiest [with] is the consistency I had throughout the three races, and [I] keep trying to improve weekend by weekend.
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“Of course every weekend is a massive learning for me, especially learning about the tyre I think was really helpful, and I think it’s going to be really helpful to have the same compounds [as in Suzuka] this weekend as well, just because I’m understanding more and more of the tyre.
“I think in the first especially couple of races, I really struggled with warm-up in Qualifying, and I think Suzuka was a big step forward in that side. So obviously massive learning, but so far I’m happy with how it’s going."
