Kimi Antonelli once again showed his relaxed side off the Formula 1 tracks. The Mercedes driver, current championship leader, took part in a prank organized by the team and managed to surprise employees by presenting himself under a false identity.
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Known for frequent jokes with his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, better known as ‘Bono’, the young Italian raised the level of fun this time. Wearing a blonde wig, glasses, and a fake mustache, Antonelli took the name ‘Peter Bonnington Jr.’ to avoid being recognized.
The action was recorded on video and released by Mercedes. When joining a virtual meeting with team members, the young driver introduced himself as a ‘lighting engineer’, a position that further increased the confusion among those present.
Initially, few realized it was the season leader. Antonelli’s characterization and performance were enough to keep most participants in doubt about his true identity.
After the meeting, the Italian driver also took part in a tour of the team’s facilities. During the visit, some people began to suspect that the mysterious ‘Peter Bonnington Jr.’ was actually the Mercedes’ main driver.
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Even with growing suspicions, Antonelli managed to sustain the prank until the final moments. The relaxed relationship between the driver and the real Bonnington has been a frequent highlight on the team’s social media channels in recent months.
The partnership between the two has been marked by many humorous interactions since the start of the season. The new prank reinforced the Italian’s relaxed image, who balances leading the championship with moments of fun away from the circuits.
At the end of the video, Antonelli summed up the experience jokingly: “It was a lot of fun, but I probably better keep driving,” concluded the young Mercedes driver.
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