Kimi Antonelli revealed that he intends to follow in the footsteps of Max Verstappen and seek the so-called A license, in order to compete on the iconic Nordschleife-Nurburgring circuit with GT3 cars. The young Mercedes driver hopes to obtain the authorization by the end of 2026.
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The Italian is having an impressive start to the Formula 1 season, accumulating three poles and three wins in the last three rounds. The performance also put Antonelli in the lead of the championship in Japan, making him the youngest driver in history to lead F1.
Besides the strong season in the main category, Antonelli is already looking at challenges outside Formula 1. Like Verstappen, the driver has shown interest in competing in GT races in the future, without losing focus on his main trajectory in F1.
“I will get it… I will try until the end of the year,” Antonelli said during a conversation with Jules Gounon in GT motorsport.
The so-called A license is the highest authorization required to compete at Nordschleife with GT3 category cars, especially in the SP9 class. The document is mandatory for traditional events such as the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and races of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, on the track with more than 20 km in length.
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The process to obtain the license requires a gradual progression of drivers on the German circuit. Competitors need to accumulate experience in lower categories before being authorized to drive the fastest cars on the track.
Besides the results on the track, other factors also influence the approval of the request. The disciplinary record is taken into account, as penalties and incidents can compromise the process of obtaining the license.
Candidates also need to participate in specific training and mandatory courses focused on the Nordschleife circuit. Antonelli, however, already shows confidence that he will be able to complete all the necessary steps to compete on the legendary German circuit in the near future.
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