Adidas Has a Potential Gold Mine In F1 Championship Leader Kimi Antonelli

In early 2025, adidas announced that they were entering the world of Formula 1 with a multi-year partnership with (deep breath) Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, one of the most dominant names in the history of the sport. Since returning to the grid as a full-time constructor in 2010, (deep breath) Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team would go on to seven straight driver’s championships between two drivers and eight consecutive constructors’ championships, which is the title awarded to the team with the most cumulative points at the end of the season.

However, since their last constructor’s championship in 2021, Mercedes has gone through a dry spell. After nearly a decade of non-stop winning, appearances on the podiums were no longer a regular occurrence as competitors like Red Bull and McLaren - who happen to use Mercedes-powered engines - were starting to leave them behind. To add to the pain, Lewis Hamilton, the driver responsible for six of seven Mercedes drivers’ titles, announced a year early that he was leaving the Silver Arrows of Mercedes for the Rosso Corsa (aka Racing Red) of Ferrari for the 2025 season.

When a world champion leaves to tackle a new challenge*, the aftermath is spotty. Some teams were able to rebound by embracing the next generation while others failed to recover. Mercedes opted for the latter, and it might turn out to be their best move since signing Hamilton in 2013.

*That challenge is usually “win a championship as a Ferrari driver.” Hamilton is just the latest example of a legend with multiple world championships to jump to Ferrari in hopes of winning another title for the Scuderia. Prior to Hamilton, Sebastian Vettell, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and Juan Manuel Fangio made the jump to Ferrari after winning driver’s championships elsewhere. Only Fangio and Schumacher were able to deliver a championship for Ferrari.

Welcome To F1, adidas

Losing Hamilton was not exactly the welcome that adidas was probably hoping for when they replaced Puma and Tommy Hilfiger. No offense to George Russell, a popular driver in his own right and currently third in the driver’s championship standings, but there’s nobody on Hamilton’s stature in F1, especially outside of the sport. Hamilton’s exploits off the track are the stuff of tabloid legend, and his current relationship to Kim Kardashian only serves to increase his visibility to a whole new audience that has kept up with the very online family. Compared to other athletes on adidas’ roster, Hamilton’s contemporaries would have been megastars like Lionel Messi, Anthony Edwards, and Patrick Mahomes.

But in this timeline, adidas didn’t get a star who’s already on the Messi or AE level. They might have somebody better: an F1 version of Lamine Yamal, a 19-year-old superstar with championship credentials already. Well, the championship part is up in the air as F1 heads into its summer break.

The Prodigy

Andrea Kimi Antonelli entered the 2025 season with plenty of hype. Not only was he replacing an iconic driver like Hamilton, but there was buzz that he was the most promising prospect in the sport since four-time world champion Max Verstappen joined the grid in 2015. Mercedes’ F1 CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff has not been shy about expressing his disappointment in missing out on Verstappen, and he’s been determined to find the next generational talent since. After being introduced to Antonelli when he was dominating kart racing at 11 years old, Wolff and Mercedes became integral to Antonelli’s development before eventually fast-tracking him through the ranks at a pace that’s only reserved for prodigies.

Antonelli’s rookie season was filled with plenty of promise as he recorded three podiums and a pole position for the 19-lap sprint race in Miami. However, there were moments that also gave everybody pause, including breaking down at a post-qualifying interview after failing to get out of the first round and struggling during the European part of the schedule. Antonelli might be a prodigy, but he’s not the brash, hot-headed racing machine that Verstappen portrayed himself to be in his early years.

Whether it’s playing pranks with the engineering team or expressing his hopes to organize an online gaming session with Anthony Edwards, Kimi played the role of an 18-year-old to perfection because he was 18. A year later, he’s a 19-year-old kid closing in on 20. He just so happens to be a kid who’s won six races out of a possible eleven so far this season, including a historic five-race winning streak, the youngest ever to achieve the feat.

Kimi Antonelli For adidas (So Far)

Adidas has prominently featured Kimi in all of their Mercedes marketing efforts. He makes appearances for the brand at various activations during the race weeks, and he’s front and center to debut one-off kits. Never forget the wild rollout for Mercedes’ collaboration with Y-3 for the Japan Grand Prix that also included Toto for reasons that one can only speculate began with a discussion of how funny and meme-worthy it would be. Was this the first time George Russell realized he might not be the favorite son?

A quick check of Mercedes’ online merch store will show that adidas has been a little bit more diplomatic, giving both drivers equal time and equal driver-specific gear. The variety of trainers they have worn throughout the run so far has yet to break through beyond fans who might be looking to pair up their kits. Collaborations with Y-3 and Bad Bunny have given supporters a little more variety beyond the usual slate of silver, black, white and Petronas Green, but the search is still on for that sneaker that people will associate with Mercedes or Kimi.

There has been one viral moment featuring Antonelli and adidas. During race weekends with extremely hot climates, both Antonelli and Russell have worn shiny silver jackets with space-age vibes. The result has been a lot of videos of drivers from different teams teasing Kimi for wearing something so audacious. But there is a functional reason for wearing the jackets; now that the drivers are allowed to wear cooling vests, the jackets were designed by adidas with fans that keep the vests cooler for a longer period of time. It’s a tiny competitive advantage, but in the world of F1 where a spot on the podium might come down to a thousandth of a second, every little bit helps.

Antonelli’s History-Making First Half

From the start of preseason testing, the feeling around the grid was that Mercedes was poised to get an early jump on the competition. Every few years, Formula 1 changes the car regulations to account for rule adjustments, safety improvements, and to ensure no single team destroys the field for an extended period. Throughout the 2010s, Mercedes was able to master the hybrid era and provide Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg with championship-capable cars.

This new set of regulations looked to be advantageous for Mercedes and presumptive favorite George Russell. After years of racing under Hamilton’s shadow, Russell was the pundits’ choice to not only win the championship but possibly dominate. Antonelli was also expected to do well and maybe win for the first time, but at this point in his journey, the expectation was that he was going to be the #2 driver who assists Russell in winning races. Russell would go on to win the first race of the season in Australia with Antonelli occupying the second step of the podium.

But then Kimi won China. And then he won Japan. And then he won Miami. And then he won Montreal. And then he won Monaco. Heading into the summer break, Antonelli leads Hamilton by 50 points, or the equivalent of two wins. If not for a pair of late mechanical failures in Barcelona and Silverstone, where Kimi was contending for a place on the podium, the lead might be bigger and possibly insurmountable. Adidas has chronicled every victory so far as part of its “You Got This” campaign on their socials. But with a driver’s championship potentially on the horizon, it might be time for the three stripes to think a little bigger.

What’s Next for Kimi and adidas

Technically, what’s next for Kimi and adidas is for adidas to actually sign Kimi. While he might wear adidas gear on the grid, that is because of adidas’ exclusivity deal with Mercedes. Kimi is not an official brand ambassador for adidas in the same way that Lamine Yamal would be. F1 drivers typically do not sign sneaker deals in the traditional sense, but there have been notable exceptions like Fernando Alonso with adidas in 2017 and Pierre Gasly with Reebok last year. Lewis Hamilton’s move to Puma was perfect synergy as he is an ambassador for the brand, but he also serves a similar role for Dior. In 2024, Hamilton dropped a much-hyped line of Dior trainers that fans ate up despite their exorbitant price tags.

Perhaps the most famous example of a sneaker brand and driver partnership was Nike designing signature driving shoes for Michael Schumacher in the 90s. Schumacher was actually signed to Nike, no different than fellow GOATs Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Nike even released a street-ready version of Schumacher’s driving shoe called the Nike Air Zoom Schu that was only available in Europe and Asia. With no possibility of a retro in sight, it has achieved grail status among collectors. But that partnership would end when FILA became Ferrari’s official kit and footwear provider. Interesting that Nike didn’t continue the partnership outside of the grid.

The question now is, should adidas adopt a similar strategy for Kimi Antonelli? It’s not impossible to see Antonelli holding up the driver’s championship trophy in a few months. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see the young driver succumb to the pressure and open a path for Hamilton to win his eighth world title or defending champion Lando Norris and a resurgent McLaren to go back-to-back. Adidas will certainly see a bump in merch sales because the youngest driver to win the most prestigious championship in all of motorsports is on their team kinda, but it won’t be the same as when Lamine Yamal won the World Cup. Because as of now, Kimi is an adidas athlete by proxy.

Outside of the grid and negotiated appearances for Mercedes, Kimi could technically wear the Nike Ja 4. When they met during an NBA game in London last season, Kimi pointed out that he was a fan wore the same number as Ja. Hamilton wore Jordans on several occasions despite his spot at Puma. If Nike had a sense of humor, they could sign Antonelli to a lifestyle deal and feature him wearing the Swoosh on non-race days. Would it be confusing to fans? Yes, but it would be chaotic and fun to see, and sometimes that’s the kind of disruption the sport needs.

Could Kimi signing a brand ambassador deal with adidas lead to a signature shoe? Not necessarily. Outside of the Puma Speedcat and Zoom Schu, there hasn’t been a racing boot that has transcended into lifestyle wear. If Kimi were to become a full-time adidas athlete, his roadmap could look a lot like Yamal’s where Kimi becomes the face of an adidas collaboration. Yamal was recently the center of adidas and Young Thug’s SP5DER collection where he wore the apparel and the F50 Formotion sneaker that’s inspired by an iconic adidas soccer boot. Going back to Kimi’s hoops fandom, he wore the Anthony Edwards Y-3 basketball jersey in Miami earlier this year.

During F1’s summer break, this is the time teams and drivers make personnel moves that will shape the look of the grid for years to come. For example, Max Verstappen could potentially trigger a chain of moves that sees him donning the Mercedes black suit alongside Kimi. But this is also the time when adidas could be having discussions with Kimi about broadening their partnership. After showing this much promise so early into his career, it would be wise of adidas to lock up Kimi now instead of after he wins the driver’s championship. Something about yesterday’s price not being the same as today’s price and whatnot.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com