Ahead of his trip to Japan, Kimi Antonelli dedicated a day to karting alongside MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi.
Eurosport Italia reports that the 18-year-old Mercedes newcomer participated in a karting event hosted by Rossi, the retired nine-time world champion, for his VR46 talent academy. "We went to train on the kart together, which was really nice," Antonelli told journalists at Suzuka, verifying that the session occurred at the Migliaro kart track in Italy.
"Vale is a really good guy," the Formula 1 rookie remarked. "We had a good laugh and he told me some stories from when he was racing in MotoGP, some funny ones too, but I can't tell them now.
"This year I'll probably go to a couple of MotoGP races just to watch and support the academy riders."
Antonelli noted that this wasn't his first meeting with Rossi, 46. "He supported me a lot from the beginning, and he just told me to keep working and having fun. And above all to focus on myself and not worry about the rest. To enjoy the moment and stay focused.
"He is a really good guy and he is someone I will always look up to, because he is a historic figure in motorsports. It was very kind of him to give me his support."
