Two of Formula One’s biggest stars might be heading to Australia twice next year.

Speaking on Motor Racing 360 on Wednesday night, The Daily Telegraph’s James Phelps said that the wheels are in motion to bring a four-time F1 world champion and the current F1 driver’s standings leader to the Bathurst 12 Hour in February 2027.

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“It’s not just two names in world motorsport. It’s two of the biggest names,” Phelps told Motor Racing 360.

“As we revealed earlier in the year, the Bathurst 12 Hour organisers were going to have a crack at getting Max Verstappen over and with the release of the calendar, we’ve got a week-and-a-half either side of the F1 event, so it looks like it’s going to happen.

“And not just happen, we’ve had expressions of interest from Max. The moves are underway. He won’t be driving with Broc Feeney in a Ford, as has been reported.

“It will be in his team – the Verstappen.com racing team – in an AMG. It’s going to be massive.”

Phelps added: “This one is even bigger and certainly one I didn’t see coming – Kimi Antonelli himself could be on the way over.

“An expression of interest has come over on behalf of Kimi’s father Marco. He drives GT3 in Italy and it’s be a lifelong ambition of his to one, drive the mountain, and two, team up with his son.

“It would be a huge story to have that father and son combination.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Madring on September 12, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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Verstappen teased coming to Mount Panorama when he was in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year.

“I like Bathurst,” the Dutchman said.

“It’s an amazing track and a place that I definitely would like to race at. If that’s going to be in GT3 or V8, I don’t know yet, but for sure that would be something really cool.”

While Antonelli has not publicly expressed his desire to race at Bathurst, the 20-year-old Italian did tease potentially teaming up with Verstappen at some point in the future.

“I would love to do an endurance race with Max together,” Antonelli said earlier this year. “I think that would be really cool.”

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Verstappen and Antonelli are not the only F1 stars linked with next year’s Bathurst 12 Hour as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Cadillac’s Valterri Bottas have also reportedly expressed their interest.

The release of next year’s F1 calendar has paved the way for that quartet to potentially come to Bathurst.

The Bathurst 12 Hour will be staged from February 12-14, while F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain does not take place until February 24-27.

“It’ll be a huge week for Mount Panorama next February and great news for the organisers of the Bathurst 12 Hour,” Phelps said.