Andrea Kimi Antonelli is flying high on track as he leads the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, but off the circuit, he is locked in a legal battle with his former manager, Giovanni Minardi. The two split and went their separate ways as soon as the driver was promoted to a race seat at Mercedes in 2025. However, the agent contends there was no legal cause to terminate the contract and accuses Antonelli of a lack of principles.

The report was broken by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport on Friday (24). According to the publication, Antonelli unilaterally terminated the agreement, and Minardi responded with a lawsuit that has been winding through the Court of Bologna since the second half of 2025.

At the center of the dispute are management commission fees stipulated in the contract which, according to Minardi, were never paid. The report adds that both parties remain far from reaching an out-of-court settlement to resolve the litigation.

However, finances are not the sole grievance raised by Minardi. The manager asserts that the dispute is fundamentally a matter of principle, arguing that the contract was voided without cause. Antonelli, meanwhile, maintains that he acted within full legal bounds and will have Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff appear as a witness in upcoming court hearings.

Antonelli was originally scouted by Minardi during his early karting days at just eight years old. At the time, the manager described the young Italian as “a natural talent impossible to ignore” and even introduced him to Ferrari before Antonelli ultimately signed with the Mercedes Junior Team.

Giovanni is son of Minardi F1 founder Giancarlo Minardi.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering all track action live from the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2026 season.

F1 2026, SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, CORRIDA, MERCEDES, KIMI ANTONELLI
Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 F1 World Championship (Photo: Rodrigo Ruiz/Grande Prêmio

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