The million-dollar lawsuit against Antonelli
Yesterday the news leaked that Andrea Kimi Antonelli had been sued by Giovanni Minardi – his former manager who accompanied him from karting to his arrival in F1.
Precisely in 2025, the year of the debut in the top category of motorsport for the young Bolognese driver, the breaking point. At the signing of the contract, Mercedes allegedly asked him to give up his own management. Thus Antonelli exercised a unilateral termination of the agreement that bound him to Minardi jr.
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His former manager did not take it well and in the second half of 2025 he sued him at the Civil Court of Bologna, for “fees agreed in the representation mandate that have never been paid”. A significant amount, given that it is estimated that Antonelli earned over 10 million euros in his first season as a full-time Formula 1 driver.
The Corriere dello Sport also stated that both Toto Wolff (co-owner and Mercedes team principal) and Gwen Lagrue (head of the Mercedes youth program) could be called to testify.
Minardi’s lawyer’s explanation
To clarify the matter, Mattia Grassani, Minardi’s lawyer, told Ansa: “Giovanni never wanted to take the path of the Civil Court but, after deep reflections and great suffering, the remedy of ordinary justice remained. I specify that in the pre-litigation phase there were several meetings between the parties to try to find a possible settlement and amicable solution. Minardi was very willing in this regard, but unfortunately it was not possible to reach an agreement“.
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The lawyer continued, hoping for a positive resolution: “The work done by Minardi over the years has been important, the opportunities created prove it. And so the decision to go to the ordinary judicial authority, after the impossibility of reaching an agreement, was a forced choice. Otherwise, the former manager would have had to give up years and years of sacrifices, investments and believing in a young talent like Kimi. I believe that this type of recognition now belongs to the court.”
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Also lawyer Grassani told Italpress: “My client was very willing to Kimi and his family to find an agreement, unfortunately it was not possible and to avoid seeing a work lasting over ten years go up in smoke the path was forced. Many years of work, sacrifices and investments on the young driver deserved much more recognition. Nothing personal, maximum respect and esteem but rules are rules.”
What emerges from the driver’s entourage
Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted how Antonelli’s entourage is “confident they acted within the law” and confident to prove it in the upcoming hearings of the case.
The next round, as highlighted by Corriere della Sera, will be in Bologna after the Monza GP.
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