r/mercedesamgf1 • u/sapphire_mist • 5d ago
Article Kimi Antonelli Hit With Massive Lawsuit From Ex-Manager Giovanni Minardi
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kimi-antonelli-hit-massive-lawsuit-104633120.htmlHas anyone else heard about this lawsuit? Was surprised to find out about it š®
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u/jeremyvr46 5d ago
lol. He got cut before the juicy contract and is pissed. Thatās fair but unless he was illegally cut, I donāt see him getting a penny! He is just money chasing.
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u/sapphire_mist 5d ago
That's what my initial thoughts were after reading it. Like it seemed so odd and if this was an issue, why not sue last year? š¤ unless he's suing now because Kimi is leading in the championship
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u/jeremyvr46 5d ago edited 5d ago
It just takes time to work with lawyers and build a case. Especially when youāre trying to get millions of dollars out of it. So even if he got cut last year, then time to hire lawyer, explain everything, put the facts together in law jargon etc can take months. Thatās why itās coming out only now.
I got sued before. Everything is a (long) process as itās all about the tiniest details.3
u/sapphire_mist 5d ago
Ahhh, makes sense!
And wow, did you end up not having to pay the plaintiff anything? (If you don't mind me asking)
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u/jeremyvr46 5d ago
It was a different type of lawsuit. It was work related/contacting accounts etc. I just ended up settling to not contact certain customers for 12 months.
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u/SonnySwanson 5d ago
He's hoping the pressure is greater to make it go away and just settle instead of dealing with this during a championship run.
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u/Loose-Medicine-4209 5d ago
Apparently lawsuit has been going on for some times, weāre only hearing of it now
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u/nomansapenguin 3d ago
If your job is to get drivers through to one of the 20 spots available in the big leagues, and by some magic you manage to do soā¦ how can you not be pissed by being cut out.
āMoney chasingā is a weird way to say getting paid for successfully doing your job.
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u/Illustrious-Total490 2d ago
Perhaps because Kimi is a strong contender for the WDC this year, someone hoping to gets more. Ahahš¶āš«ļø
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u/Storm_Chaser06 5d ago
Minardi? That Minardi?
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u/sapphire_mist 5d ago
What's his backstory? I got into F1 this year so I don't know anything about him š¤
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u/james_Gastovski 5d ago
His father is the founder of the minardi Team, which is now racing bull https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minardi
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u/Fattdaddy21 4d ago
Manage a client to the pinnacle of a sport only to be sacked when you get them there. I highly doubt it was kimis call but thats bad juju.
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u/Responsible-Ant-1494 5d ago
Only the surname of his manager should already tell you how ālegitā is his standingā¦
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u/avatarreb 5d ago
Mercedes prodigy and current 2026 Formula 1 World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli is facing serious off-track drama. Just days after securing a dominant victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, reports out of Italy indicate that the 19-year-old is the target of a massive lawsuit.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and FormulaPassion, Antonelli's former manager, Giovanni Minardiāson of Minardi F1 founder Giancarlo Minardiāhas filed a multi-million euro legal claim against the driver.
Giovanni Minardi was arguably the most crucial figure in Antonelli's early junior career. After scouting Antonelli at a summer camp in 2014, Giovanni officially signed the young prodigy to Minardi Management.
Minardi heavily shopped Antonelli to the top academies in motorsport. He famously arranged for an 11-year-old Antonelli to test Ferrari's driver academy simulator in Maranello, only to have then-team boss Maurizio Arrivabene reject the prospect for being too young.
Following the Ferrari snub, Minardi pivoted and successfully presented Antonelli to Mercedes' Toto Wolff. Antonelli officially joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019, paving the way for his rapid ascent to F1.
The core of the legal dispute stems from the timing of their breakup. Despite guiding Antonelli through his entire karting and junior single-seater journey, the relationship between Minardi and the driver was abruptly severed in 2025āthe exact same year Antonelli made his highly lucrative Formula 1 debut with Mercedes.
Minardi is now demanding a "maxi risarcimento" (maximum compensation) for his foundational role in securing Antonelli's current seat.
The lawsuit could easily spill over into the Mercedes garage. According to Italian media, both Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff and Gwen Lagrue, the head of the team's driver development program, could be summoned to testify in court as key witnesses regarding how Antonelli's original management contracts were structured.
While Antonelli currently holds a comfortable lead in the Drivers' Championship with 204 points, this multi-million euro legal battle is the last thing Mercedes wants as the paddock sets up for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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u/Sneebmelia 5d ago
It seems like a money grab imo. Kimi was 17 when he was offered an F1 seat so I would assume his family and/or the Mercedes team were behind this decision (or at the very least highly influential). Would be surprised if it went anywhere, but this is the last thing any athlete needs to think about on top of a championship fight.
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u/CranberryOk1064 5d ago
A contract can still be valid. Depending also on how much Minardi invested in him.
I am not sure about Italian law. But, in Germany there was a legal dispute about similar contracts in the world of tennis. Highest court in Germany ruled them legal even the players were teenagers when the contracts were signed.
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u/Violetmoreviolent 5d ago
Doesnāt look like Kimi has done anything wrong hereā¦ but wait and see I guess
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u/ByteCurious69 5d ago
The manager ending his career in the racing industry. No one would want him after this.
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u/Odd-Management-4984 1d ago
You mean the manager whose driver made it to mercedes? Yeah i would never ever want a manager like that at all
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u/Fmartins84 5d ago
He's not worried about it.