Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli unhurt in pre-testing car crash

Mercedes F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli walked away unharmed from a single-car road accident in San Marino just days before his scheduled debut in the team's 2026 car at pre-season testing. The 19-year-old Italian called emergency services himself after the incident, which involved his limited-edition Mercedes road car hitting a guardrail.

Why it matters:

A driver's physical readiness is paramount heading into a crucial pre-season test, where every lap of data is vital for car development. For Antonelli, who is set to replace George Russell for the afternoon session on the first day of testing in Bahrain, any injury could have disrupted Mercedes' carefully planned run program and his own acclimatization to the W17.

The details:

• The accident occurred on Saturday night near Antonelli's home in Serravalle, San Marino.
• According to a police report, it was a single-vehicle incident where Antonelli's car struck a guardrail.
• Mercedes confirmed in a statement that Antonelli was "completely unhurt," though his vehicle sustained damage.
• The car involved was Antonelli's personal Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ "Motorsport Collectors Edition," one of only 200 produced.
• The driver himself alerted the authorities to the crash.

What's next:

All attention now turns to Bahrain, where Antonelli is still expected to take part in the first pre-season test on Wednesday. The session will mark his first official outing in a current-spec Mercedes F1 car during a Grand Prix weekend event, a significant step in his development as the team's reserve and potential future race driver.

summary: Mercedes F1 junior Kimi Antonelli escaped unharmed from a road traffic accident in Italy days before his planned run in the team's 2026 car at pre-season testing. The single-vehicle incident damaged his personal Mercedes-AMG but left the driver physically unscathed, with the team confirming he remains on schedule for his Bahrain test debut.