Kimi Antonelli’s sensational 2026 F1 season has been hit with an unexpected off-track complication, with the young Italian’s former manager, Giovanni Minardi, taking his former protégé to court over alleged unpaid compensation. Antonelli, currently leading the F1 world championship standings, was brought under the Minardi Management umbrella in 2014 when he was just a young karting prospect. However, after Ferrari rejected Antonelli at the time due to his age, the youngster eventually joined Mercedes’ junior ranks in 2018. His relationship with Minardi subsequently ended, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff taking over his management. “When the driver moved to Mercedes, the Antonelli team deemed the conditions no longer met to continue.