Long before Antonelli became world champion, Ayrton Senna was his hero. A special helmet and a visit with Senna’s family make his return to Interlagos deeply personal.
Kimi Antonelli’s first Grand Prix weekend as world champion comes with a tribute to the driver he grew up admiring.
The Mercedes driver has revealed a yellow, green and blue helmet for the São Paulo Grand Prix, honoring Ayrton Senna 35 years after his first Brazilian victory. The Brazilian flag features prominently on the side, alongside Antonelli’s familiar star details.
He announced the tribute after securing the championship in Mexico, where he described the design as “one of my best helmets that I've made.”
Our earlier F1Unchained Take explored the personality and competitive intensity behind Antonelli’s record-breaking second season. His tribute in Brazil reveals another influence on the driver he has become.
A hero he discovered through his father
Antonelli never saw Senna race in person. Born in 2006, he discovered the Brazilian through old race footage watched with his father, Marco. Those recordings helped make a driver from another generation his racing hero.
This week, that connection took him to Senna’s family estate in Tatuí. With his father alongside him, Antonelli met members of the Senna family and sat in the cockpit of the black-and-gold Lotus 98T associated with Senna’s 1986 season.
For someone who had grown up watching those cars on a screen, it was a rare opportunity to experience a small part of that history firsthand. In a social-media message afterward, Antonelli thanked the family and said he would carry the memories with him forever.
Why this Interlagos victory matters
The helmet specifically honors Senna’s 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix win.
Senna was already a two-time world champion when he finally won at home. Even then, a failing gearbox threatened to take the victory away. Left with only sixth gear in the closing laps, he held on as Riccardo Patrese closed behind him.
It was the first of Senna’s two very different victories at Interlagos, and the physical effort left him struggling to lift the trophy.
Thirty-five years later, Antonelli is honoring that performance at the same circuit, days after winning his own first championship.
There is another connection he intends to keep beyond Brazil. Before he clinched the title, we explored why number 12 could mean more to Antonelli than the champion’s number 1. In Mexico, he confirmed his choice: he will keep 12 next season, even though the championship gives him the right to use 1.
Twelve was also the number Senna carried to his first title in 1988. For Antonelli, keeping it is a way to stay grounded and approach the next season ready to improve. He also admitted a simpler reason: he is superstitious, and number 1 has never brought him much luck.
The helmet is special to this weekend. The number stays.
