19-year-old Italian racing driver Kimi Antonelli’s seemingly unstoppable Formula 1 season hit a major setback at the Spanish Grand Prix when the championship leader suffered his first retirement of the year due to a mechanical failure. The result opened the door for veteran Lewis Hamilton to claim a memorable victory for Ferrari, instantly shifting the momentum of the title fight.
But while engineers pointed to technical issues, fans online had a very different explanation. Social media has been flooded with jokes claiming Antonelli was “cursed” by Kim Kardashian, with many tracing his misfortune back to a viral Monaco Grand Prix moment. During the podium ceremony, Kardashian accidentally picked up and used a towel reserved for the race winner, Antonelli, after passing the area where drivers place their helmets following the race.
The incident soon became an ongoing joke. Mercedes posted videos of Antonelli playfully searching for his missing towel, with the 19-year-old even referencing it during media appearances in Barcelona. Kardashian eventually joined in on the gag, sending him a replacement embroidered with the message: “To Kimi from Kim.”
However, after Antonelli’s retirement in Spain ended his streak of five consecutive victories, fans revived the towel saga online. Memes and conspiracy theories quickly spread across social media, with many joking that Kardashian’s accidental towel theft had somehow ended the young driver’s winning run.