Simmey Hannifin DonaldsonF1 EditorMotorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024
Friday 28 August 2026 22:30Make us your Google favorite
F1 star Kimi Antonelli is set to feature in an iconic Disney comic book ahead of next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, it has been revealed.
Antonelli has been the star of the F1 2026 season so far, currently topping the drivers’ standings heading to Monza and on track to become the youngest world champion the sport has ever seen.
The 20-year-old’s first home race resulted in a ninth-place finish in 2025, but in 2026, he has a realistic shot at winning, which would delight the Italian crowd.
Antonelli would become the first Italian in 60 years to win the Italian Grand Prix if he pulls it off, with the last driver to have done so being Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 for Ferrari.
However, off the track, he’s involved in something that carries a lot less pressure, featuring alongside Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in the Italian Disney comic book Topolino!
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Kimi Antonelli set to feature in Disney comic book
Topolino is a famous Italian Disney comic book that began being published all the way back in 1932. Its name literally translates to ‘little mouse’, and that is also the Italian name for Mickey Mouse.
As such, the comic book is based on Disney characters, but ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Antonelli will feature in its pages.
As per Corriere Della Sera, the Mercedes star has been turned into a new character, Kimi Paperelli (essentially Kimi Duckonelli in English), and is set to star in four of the five chapters of stories revolving around the upcoming race in Italy.
“Topolino was the magazine of my childhood, and I’m happy to find myself back in its pages today,” Antonelli said
“If I really lived in Duckburg, I’d ride with Donald Duck in his legendary 313, because it’s a car I really like: it’s sporty, it has a character all its own. And I adore Donald Duck, I’m too fond of him.”
More Disney at Italian GP
This isn’t the only Disney-related thing going on around the Italian Grand Prix, either.
F1 and Disney recently confirmed an extension to their “Fuel the Magic” collaboration, and it involves Cars character Lightning McQueen making an appearance at Monza.
The exact capacity in which McQueen appears remains to be seen. However, merch featuring the iconic Cars character has him with safety car lights fitted on his roof.
