Kimi Antonelli’s girlfriend announces break-up with Mercedes F1 driver

Dubai: As Kimi Antonelli gears up for the 2026 Formula 1 season with Mercedes, the young star has faced turbulence off the track. His girlfriend of two years, Eliska Babickova, has confirmed that their relationship has come to an end — just a week before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The 18-year-old Italian made headlines last year by finishing seventh in the Drivers’ Championship during his rookie campaign, marking himself as one of the sport’s brightest prospects. But while anticipation builds for the new season, his personal life has taken a difficult turn.

Babickova confirmed the split on Tuesday through a video posted on social media, addressing ongoing speculation and shutting down rumours directly.

“This is quite recent because all throughout February, me and Kimi were trying to figure stuff out,” she explained. “We weren’t really sure ourselves at what point the relationship was.”

She added that the delay in speaking publicly had only fuelled gossip. “I’ve seen so much speculation and fake narratives and news. That’s not right. I want to set the record straight so there doesn’t need to be any more false, disgusting narratives.”

Babickova revealed that she made the decision to end the relationship, citing differences in their long-term goals and values. “Yes, we did break up. I was the one to end the relationship because I felt that we no longer aligned in our personal lives and in what we wanted for our future,” she said. “Our values towards the end of the relationship were very different. That’s why it ended. There’s no massive drama.”

She also firmly dismissed rumours of infidelity or third parties being involved. “It’s super misrepresentative of what our relationship was. It was never that. Although we did have issues towards the end, other people were never the problem.”