Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Giovanni Minardi has taken Andrea Kimi Antonelli to civil court in Bologna after the Mercedes driver ended their long-running management agreement, with Italian reports saying the case centers on unpaid representation fees and could be worth seven figures.
The lawsuit was filed in the second half of 2025 but has only now become public. According to Corriere dello Sport, Minardi is seeking compensation for amounts due under the representation contract that were not paid after Antonelli unilaterally terminated the deal when he stepped up to Formula 1.
The dispute matters because Minardi was not a late arrival in Antonelli’s career. He discovered the Italian in karting at Sarno in 2014, brought him into Minardi Management and helped shape the path that followed. Minardi first presented Antonelli to Ferrari, and after Ferrari declined, he approached Toto Wolff. Antonelli then joined the Mercedes junior system in 2019.
The two sides are still far apart. Minardi’s position is that the contract was ended unilaterally and without justification, while Antonelli’s entourage, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, is confident it acted within the law and can demonstrate that in court.
The financial stakes appear significant. Reports put Antonelli’s earnings in his rookie Formula 1 season at roughly 12 million euros, with Corriere dello Sport describing the claim as being in the seven-figure range and another report calling it a case “with many zeros.”
Mattia Grassani, Minardi’s lawyer, told ANSA that court action came only after attempts to settle the matter failed. “Giovanni would never have wanted to take the path of the Civil Court, but after deep reflection and great suffering, ordinary justice remained the remedy,” Grassani said. He added that there had been several meetings between the parties in the pre-litigation phase to try to find an amicable settlement, but “it was not possible to reach an agreement.”
Grassani also told Italpress that his client had shown broad willingness to find a deal with Antonelli and his family, but said legal action became unavoidable if Minardi was not to see more than a decade of work, sacrifice and investment go unrecognized. “Nothing personal, maximum respect and maximum esteem, but rules are rules,” he said.
The case could also draw in senior Mercedes figures. Reports say Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, co-owner and CEO, and Gwen Lagrue, who was responsible for the team’s junior program, could be called as witnesses as the legal fight over Antonelli’s move into Formula 1 continues.