Antonelli: I would like to become a designer or an architect.

      The journalists of the official website of the championship continue a series of funny interviews with Formula 1 drivers, in which there are not many questions related to motorsport, but mostly the conversation is on universal topics. This time, Kimi Antonelli became the hero of the interview.…

      Question: Can you describe yourself in three words?Kimi Antonelli: Ufff... there are two different Kimis, first of all there is the one you see on the track, but there is another one outside the tracks. I would say he is quite calm, likes to do his own things in his free time, but at the same time he likes to spend time with family and friends. And when it comes to having fun, he can go crazy, but just a little. Kimi is like that outside the track.

      He becomes completely focused on the track, he really likes what he's doing, he likes Formula 1. Besides, he's really excited about the results he's showing and the way he's driving.

      Q: How did you come to love Formula 1? How did it all start?Kimi Antonelli: My father instilled in me a love for this sport. When he was young, he raced himself, and then organized his own racing team, so I spent a lot of time on the tracks with him from an early age.

      When I was about five or six years old, we watched Formula 1 races at home on TV, and that was also an important moment that started my passion for motorsport.

      Question: When did you get behind the wheel for the first time in your life?Kimi Antonelli: When I was two years old, they put me behind the wheel of a kart, but of course I was too small and my feet couldn't reach the pedals. It upset me a lot, but my father sat me on his lap. And when I was about five years old, for the first time I independently controlled a small kart called Delfino. But it was very slow – everything was happening at the cartodrome in Forli.

      Q: When did you get your driver's license? Wasn't that a while ago?Kimi Antonelli: Yes, and it wasn't easy, I'm not going to lie. I knew I only had one shot. I've never driven a car with manual gearshift before, never really parked, never practiced parallel parking or reverse parking.

      Of course, it's good that I passed everything the first time, also because if I hadn't succeeded, I don't know when I would have been able to do it again. And, perhaps, it would be somehow inconvenient for me.

      But when I got my license, I was very happy, because I no longer had to ask my mom for a ride!

      Question: When was the last time you cried with laughter?Kimi Antonelli: Two years ago at my own birthday party. Together with all my friends, we went to an amusement park, and I remember that the first one was some kind of water attraction. One of my friends had brand new shoes, and he said: "I don't want to go there, I don't want my shoes to get wet."

      I assured him that the shoes wouldn't get wet, but by the end of the session, the water was already knee-deep. My friend got mad, and when we walked on, water was coming out of him, including from his shoes, and it was very funny!

      Q: Who is your best friend in the paddock?Kimi Antonelli: I would say Ollie Berman. He was my team-mate last year when we competed in F2. I think we get along great and we still manage to maintain friendly relations. I am glad that he also competes in Formula 1. He was probably my best team-mate.

      Question: If you could invite three people related to Formula 1, from the past or the present, to dinner, who would it be?Kimi Antonelli: It takes a long time to choose! I would have called Fernando Alonso.… I saw a picture of them dancing with George Russell at a disco – it looks like he's quite suitable for a fun company. And I would also invite George and Max Verstappen.

      Q: Where did you spend the best vacation of your life?Kimi Antonelli: Maybe last year, when my friends and I went on a car trip to California. It was really fun! I had to spend many hours driving, and I overslept most of the rest of the time.

      If I wasn't driving, I'd get bored and just sleep in the car. Otherwise, it was fun and interesting.

      Q: What is your favorite movie and TV series?Kimi Antonelli: To be honest, I don't watch TV series at all. Rather, I prefer movies or TV series on Netflix. I think I'll choose Drive to Survive, although I like a lot of things. For example, the documentary series "The Last Dance" about the Chicago Bulls basketball team and Michael Jordan. It's a great series! I also liked the series about Ayrton Senna, and I also watched the new one.

      Of course, I'm looking forward to the premiere of the new F1 movie. I've already seen the trailers, and they make a strong impression.

      Q: What is the strangest gift you've ever received from fans?Kimi Antonelli: Once I was given a plush toy - it was a kind of animal, but it was very difficult to understand what kind of animal it was. And once I received strange lollipops as a gift, but I was afraid to try them because they were of some strange shape and texture. But I appreciate the fans' attention!

      Q: What was the best advice you've ever been given?Kimi Antonelli: I've received a lot of them. Of course, the most important one is: "Be more modest." No matter what you do, you should not consider yourself superior to others. Actually, I feel that I am in a privileged position, because I am lucky and I am professionally engaged in a business that I love very much.

      There is another piece of advice.: "Always believe in yourself and your strengths." And also: "Surround yourself with the right people." You should have people around you that you can trust. And it is also important not to forget about self-criticism.…

      Try to be the first to understand what you need to catch up on, what your mistakes are in order to become a better person, not only professionally, but also as a human being.

      Question: In what other profession would you like to try your hand for at least one day?Kimi Antonelli: I would like to become an automobile designer so that I can design my own car. Or become an architect – then I can design my own house! I also love basketball very much, and I would like to try my hand at one of the NBA teams.

      I haven't been to the matches yet, but I'm already looking forward to it, because I'm going to watch something when we go to the race in the USA. I think it will be great! I also like music, but I'm just terrible at singing.…

      Question: What would you like to do in five years?Kimi Antonelli: I want to continue to compete in Formula 1, hopefully successfully. I hope that by this time I will have started winning races, and my main goal is, of course, to become world champion. I hope that in five years I will be able to achieve this!..