A racing driver once tipped for Formula 1 stardom has admitted to stabbing his father to death in self-defence. Antolin Gonzalez, 23, has claimed he accidentally knifed his father, also Antolin Gonzalez, in the neck following a family dispute in the Spanish town of Aranda del Duero.
Antolin Jr was once regarded as one of Spain’s most talented young single-seater racers, having smashed a karting track record at the age of just eight. By 13, he became the youngest driver to take the wheel of a Formula 3 car, one of F1’s feeder classes. He also competed in Spanish Formula 4, Formula Masters China and the Asian Formula Renault series.
He finished runner-up in the latter in 2018, with many predicting that he would graduate to F1 one day. However, that dream was never realised, reportedly due to a lack of finance.
This week, he has been in court after being charged with his father’s murder, having been in custody since his arrest in July. He was detained by police after fleeing to the nearby town of Sinovas.
Antolin Jr was wanted after the authorities were alerted to a knife attack on Antolin Snr at a warehouse. The 56-year-old, well-known local businessman, was still alive when emergency services arrived but eventually succumbing to his injuries.
According to reports in Spain, Antolin Jr has admitted to the killing but has insisted it was his father who was first to wield the weapon, said to be a machete-like blade measuring 10 to 15cm. That, it is claimed, led to a violent struggle and the deadly stab wound to Antolin Snr’s neck.
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He’s therefore seeking a plea bargain for a reduced sentence. Antolin Jr is said to have disposed of the weapon, which has not been found, after throwing it into a nearby river. The trial continues.