Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 world championship at twenty years old, becoming the youngest driver to claim the crown and bringing a drivers’ title back to Italy seventy-three years after Alberto Ascari, Corriere della Sera reported.
The Bologna-born Mercedes driver wrapped up the achievement following a dominant campaign that reshaped the grid’s competitive order. Mercedes ha investito oltre 10 milioni di euro nella carriera di Antonelli da quando, appena dodicenne, l’ha messo sotto contratto con il suo Junior Program.
While Antonelli reached the pinnacle of motorsport in Mexico City by finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton with four rounds remaining, his current baseline salary sits in the lower half of the paddock, Il Foglio reported.
Sitiscommesse figures cited by Il Foglio indicate his fixed contract through 2027 pays roughly a million and a half euros annually, leaving him earning substantially less than top earners like Verstappen on 65 million euros and Hamilton on 55 million euros.
Performance bonuses and commercial returns have heavily supplemented those figures. Corriere della Sera estimated his total current compensation from salary and team bonuses at between 12 and 13 million euros, a figure poised for exponential growth as negotiations begin for a new agreement.
Antonelli could earn millions through contract renewal
Sports marketing agency StageUp projected that Antonelli’s anticipated contract renewal with Mercedes for 2028 could reach 35 million euros, alongside personal sponsorship portfolios climbing to roughly 12 million euros annually, Corriere della Sera reported. Mercedes has already tabled a substantial wage adjustment to align his base pay with teammate George Russell at 34 million euros while locking in a multi-year extension through 2030, Corriere della Sera reported.
The constructor earned more profit than ever before. Tuttosport calculated that Antonelli cost Mercedes roughly 9mila dollars per championship point earned, contrasting sharply with other high-profile salaries across the pit lane.
Corporate structure and tax residency in San Marino
Antonelli established his tax residency in San Marino in 2024 at age eighteen via family reunification, joining his father Marco who relocated there in 2019, Corriere della Sera reported. Rather than opting for a special substitute tax regime for new residents, the driver remains subject to San Marino’s ordinary General Income Tax (IGR) applied to both personal earnings and family-linked corporate entities.
That personal tax framework features progressive rates running from nine percent to thirty-five percent with an exemption threshold near 13 mila euro, contrasting with Italy’s progressive Irpef scale reaching forty-three percent for incomes exceeding 50 mila euro plus local surtaxes, according to Corriere della Sera.
Corporate taxation in San Marino carries an ordinary IGR rate of seventeen percent, with an eight-and-a-half percent reduction for qualifying startups over their first five years and a five percent withholding tax on distributed dividends.
Corporate filings illustrate the commercial apparatus surrounding the champion. San Marino-based Akm Motorsport posted revenues of 4.72 million euros and a net profit of 424,559 euros in 2025, with equity standing at 2.31 million euros, Corriere della Sera reported. Antonelli Motorsport Srl, operating in Sala Bolognese, recorded a production value of 966,845 euros and a net profit of 22,852 euros.
Aka Srl, established in San Marino in November 2024 with a 26 mila euro capital and wholly owned by Antonelli, oversees image rights, sponsorships, and the “Kimi Antonelli” trademark registered across Europe in July, Corriere della Sera reported. The company generated 3.39 million euros in revenue and 2.70 million euros in net profit for 2025, distributing 300 mila euro in dividends to the driver while allocating 2.4 million euros to reserves.
