Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was involved in a car cash close to his home in San Marino ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain.
The 19-year-old was however unharmed in the incident which happened over the weekend and will be able to take part in the first test at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Mercedes in a statement said: “We can confirm that Kimi was involved in a traffic accident on Saturday night close to his home in San Marino.
“The police attended the scene, after being called by Kimi. His was the only car involved and while his vehicle was damaged, Kimi was completely unhurt.”
The German automobile giant have confirmed that Antonelli will drive the W17 in the afternoon on the opening day of the test on Wednesday while teammate George Russell takes over the morning session.
Here’s our driving line-up for Bahrain Test 1 this week! 👇 pic.twitter.com/8TgG7XkONK
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 10, 2026
Antonelli finished seventh in the drivers’ championship in his rookie F1 season, claiming three podium finishes and pole position in the Miami Grand Prix sprint race.
The first pre-season test runs from February 11 to 13 while the second test runs from February 18 to 20 before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
