Kimi Antonelli has hit the track running in his maiden F1 season in 2025. The 18-year-old driver has had a stellar run so far, with the Bologna native finishing third at the Canada Grand Prix this past weekend, his best result in the first 10 races.
Despite reaching speeds of more than 200km/h on a normal race weekend, the Mercedes F1 driver is actually banned from driving his Mercedes-AMG sports car on local roads.
To commemorate the Italian rookie’s debut F1 season, the German luxury marque gifted Antonelli a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S coupé in April 2025.
While you could argue the Bologna native has more experience in powerful cars in comparison to a regular driver, Italy’s road rules dictate that new drivers are banned from driving vehicles that exceed the 75kW power limit, as per the European Transport Safety Council.
For reference, the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 sports coupé is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine that has a maximum power output of 430kW/800Nm –also seen in the SL63 convertible – approximately five times that of the legislation restriction.
The new laws, which came into effect on December 14, 2024, prohibit newly licensed drivers from driving powerful vehicles for three years.
This means Antonelli won’t be legally allowed to drive the Mercedes-AMG GT63 until at least 2028, with the 18-year-old Italian only getting his normal car licence in January 2025.
As previously reported by Drive, the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 coupé is priced from $366,500 before on-road costs, and is powered by the twin-turbo V8 engine that’s mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The German luxury car maker claims the GT63 two-door sports car can reach 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, while reaching a top speed of 315km/h.
While a 430kW/800Nm car is enough to blow the hair off an inexperienced driver, the higher-spec Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance takes things to a whole new level.
The GT63 S E Performance is powered by a V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain that's also found in the four-door variant. Boasting a whopping 600kW/1420Nm, the luxury marque claims the two-door GT63 S E Performance can reach standstill to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds.
Are there any car power restrictions for P-Platers in Australia?
While Kimi Antonelli may have to wait a couple of years before he can take his Mercedes coupé for a daily drive, some Australian states also have restrictions for newly licensed drivers.
Depending on where you live, novice drivers may be restricted to a range of legal limits, such as the speed and power of the car, as well as the time a P-plate driver can drive.
In NSW, provisional drivers are restricted to a maximum speed limit of 90km/h on any road or highway.
Additionally, if you're a newly licensed motorist in the state, you cannot drive a "high performance" vehicle with a power to tare mass (the weight of the car without any passengers or luggage) ratio of 130kW.
To calculate a car's power-to-weight ratio, divide the vehicle's power output (kW) by its tare mass and multiply it by 1000. For example, under NSW law, P-platers cannot drive a Mazda MX-5 convertible as its ratio sits at 133 kW (135kW + 1015kg x 1000).
Additionally, some other vehicles can be categorised as high-performance models. To spare yourself the trouble, click here to find out what cars p-platers can drive in NSW.
Victoria also prohibits novice drivers from driving vehicles with a power-to-mass ratio that exceeds 130kW; however, there are no speed limit restrictions. Additionally, p-plate drivers in the state cannot use portable devices like mobile phones if they aren't mounted.
In Queensland, newly licensed motorists cannot drive a vehicle with a power-to-mass ratio of 130kW and above. The state government also mandates that red or green P-platers can only carry one passenger under 21 years old that isn't an immediate family member between 11:00pm and 5:00am daily.
Similarly, in Western Australia, p-platers "must not drive between midnight and 5:00 am for the first 6 months" of their provisional licence, unless they're driving to and from work, and/or school.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
