Kimi Antonelli has added a little more Italian colour to Mercedes’ championship celebrations. The new world champion arrived at the Brackley factory with green, white and red hair, keeping his promise to mark the title with a different look.

A factory arrival to remember

Mercedes shared footage of the visit on November 11. This time, attention went straight to Antonelli’s hair as he greeted staff, Toto Wolff and George Russell. The meeting quickly became a chance for everyone to laugh together.

The team introduced the video by pointing out that Kimi had actually gone through with it. Wolff’s reaction supplied much of the entertainment, with the team principal taking a moment to absorb the transformation before joining in the jokes.

Picking the right occasion

Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, Antonelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he already had the colours ready. His remaining decision was when to use them: during the race weekend or on the following visit to the factory, where he would address employees.

He chose the factory. The colours of his football club Bologna had also been considered, but the Italian flag ultimately won out for the championship appearance.

An invitation for Russell

Antonelli did not keep the joke entirely to himself. With Russell amused by the new look, the Italian suggested his team-mate could try the colours of the Union Jack.

It was a relaxed exchange after months of racing pressure. Factory celebrations also bring the drivers together with the people whose work is less visible during a grand prix weekend. A memorable arrival can make that shared occasion feel more personal than another formal photograph with a trophy.

Two championships to celebrate

Antonelli secured the drivers’ title in Mexico before Mercedes clinched the constructors’ championship in Brazil. The Brackley visit therefore brought both achievements into the same celebration with the workforce.

There are still races to complete, but the stopwatch was not the centre of attention on this occasion. Antonelli had made a promise, kept it and given his colleagues an unexpected highlight of the celebrations. For a team used to analysing every detail of a racing car, the most discussed new colour scheme belonged to its driver.

Sources: Motorsport.com · GPblog · Mercedes — Instagram

Watch Kimi reveal his new hairstyle in the original Mercedes video.