Former manager Kimi Antonelli has sued the driver.

      Kimi Antonelli is facing a legal dispute with former manager Giovanni Minardi, who is demanding a multi-million compensation from the Mercedes driver for "unpaid rewards" following his debut in Formula 1. Negotiations between the parties have been ongoing for over a year, but now the matter has reached court. Giovanni Minardi, son of the founder of the eponymous Formula 1 team Giancarlo Minardi, believes he should be compensated for his work during the early stages of Antonelli's career. Kimi Antonelli began collaborating with Minardi Management in 2014, when Minardi organized tests for Kimi that were supposed to help him enter Ferrari's youth program. However, Maurizio Arrivabene, who was then leading the Ferrari team, rejected Antonelli, considering him too young. As a result, in 2018, Antonelli joined Mercedes' youth program and ended his collaboration with Minardi, with his interests being represented by Mercedes chief Toto Wolff. On the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Minardi officially filed a civil lawsuit in the Bologna court, demanding payment of the debt and compensation for the early termination of the contract. The claims relate to the period before Antonelli's debut in Formula 1 in 2025. It is reported that the parties are still far from a settlement, and the amount of the claims is in the millions of euros. Mattia Grassani, Giovanni Minardi's lawyer, told the Adnkronos news agency the details of the story: "Giovanni Minardi has been struggling with what happened and turned to the court, as it was the only option left. So many years of work, sacrifices, and investments in the young driver deserved much greater recognition. Turning to the court became the only possible solution. This is a very complex case that has been under consideration for almost a year, and during this time there have been numerous hearings. The dispute involves Giovanni Minardi and Kimi Antonelli, as well as the driver's parents. It concerns a breach of the management services contract made several years ago with the underage Kimi and his parents. When the driver moved to Mercedes, Antonelli's team decided that the conditions for continuing the collaboration were no longer being met. That is when the dispute arose. There were attempts to resolve the situation out of court; however, Giovanni Minardi found the proposed conditions unacceptable while expressing a willingness to continue negotiations. Unfortunately, a compromise could not be reached." As part of the proceedings, the court may summon Toto Wolff as well as the former head of Mercedes' youth program Gwen Lagrue, who recently moved to a similar position at Red Bull.