Spanish racing driver Antolin Gonzalez has relived the moment he stabbed his 56-year-old father to death at a warehouse in Aranda de Duero.
The 24-year-old motorsport prodigy, once dubbed the next Fernando Alonso, broke his public silence about the homicide from a cell at Burgos Prison in northern Spain's Castile and Leon region, where he is awaiting trial.
Gonzalez confessed to stabbing his father, also named Antolin, in the neck and chest at the family warehouse on July 5 last year. The victim was a 56-year-old business leader who had first introduced his son to motorsport.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Gonzalez recalled the moments leading up to the killing, which followed a long and complicated divorce between his parents. "This has marked me and it is going to be something that will haunt me forever," he said.
According to Gonzalez, he visited the warehouse to discuss the divorce agreement and collect personal belongings from the gym area. He said his father reacted aggressively, claiming everything belonged to him, before brandishing a weapon when Gonzalez walked to the back of the building.
"I went further into the warehouse because those things were at the back, and when I turned around I found him with his knife in his hand," Gonzalez told El Mundo. He added that his father came at him aggressively and out of his mind.
Gonzalez described struggling with his father while trying to disarm him. He said his father cut himself before Gonzalez instinctively struck him several times while panicked and scared.
"I only vaguely remember images and flashes with the knife, and my father approaching me. I know I punched him, but he had the knife in his hand and I don't know what could have happened, but I ended up killing him," he said.
Gonzalez said he saw his father staggering and clutching his neck before falling near the warehouse door. After attempting to cover the neck wound, Gonzalez said he panicked when passing cars stopped to look, prompting him to flee the scene.
He admitted throwing the weapon into the nearby Banuelos River, which police searches have failed to recover. Following a telephone call to his mother, police arrested Gonzalez in Sinovas, a small village located a short drive from Aranda de Duero.
Challenging confrontation and court confession
During a closed court hearing last October, Gonzalez formally confessed to the killing. His defence lawyer, Jose Luis Vegas, confirmed the admission at the time.
Gonzalez explained that severe shock had left him dazed during his initial police statements, during which he followed his original attorney's advice to answer only defence questions. He requested a second statement to confess after becoming fully aware of what had occurred.
"Of course I feel guilty. It is something that should never have happened. I regret it every day. And I always will," Gonzalez said, expressing deep remorse over the incident.
Madrid-based lawyer Jose Luis Vegas told Spanish website El Espanol that his client suffered a psychotic episode upon seeing his father with a machete. Vegas noted that the father had been estranged from Gonzalez for a year due to the divorce.
Vegas stated that Gonzalez had gone to the warehouse to stop ongoing arguments between his parents. The defence lawyer added: "His father was his greatest supporter throughout his sporting career."
In December last year, Vegas revealed he was attempting to negotiate a plea bargain with public prosecutors for a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence, citing Gonzalez's "overwhelming fear" as a mitigating factor. It remains unconfirmed whether state prosecutors will accept a plea agreement ahead of trial.
If a plea deal is not reached and Gonzalez is convicted at trial, he could remain in prison until his late 30s. Inside Burgos Prison, he spends his days participating in sports and attending painting courses to distract himself.
Family tension and domestic background
Local sources reported that Gonzalez's father had never accepted the marital split, and his mother had two restraining orders active against him at the time of the fatal attack. A family spokesman told Spanish news website Articulo 14 that relatives feared the mother, Raquel Carreras, could have been killed due to daily threats she received.
The spokesman stated that Gonzalez had stepped back from his rising motorsport career to stay close to his mother, aiming to ensure she was left alone and unprotected as little as possible. Carreras, an amateur handball player, continues to support her son.
Gonzalez had previously attempted to mediate between his parents to resolve their disputes without lawyers, according to his statements. However, the ongoing breakdown of the marriage cast a heavy shadow over his professional racing ambitions.
From karting prodigy to Formula One prospect
Gonzalez's rise in motorsport began at age eight after a spur-of-the-moment visit to a local go-kart circuit following a Christmas shopping trip. He broke the track record during his first outing, prompting the circuit owner to advise his parents to foster his talent.
His mother recalled the early start when Gonzalez was 10, telling a local television station: "We started in this by chance. As a result of him doing a lap record we've been competing for two years and he's done things really well because he's obviously got talent."
By age 10, Gonzalez had trialled in the United Kingdom for the childhood team of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. However, an 11th-hour regulation change prohibited young drivers from competing outside their home country, blocking his potential move to Britain.
At 13, Gonzalez made history as the youngest driver to compete in Formula 3. By age 15, while driving for the Drivex team under the mentorship of former Formula One driver Pedro Martinez de la Rosa, a local newspaper declared that "a star has been born."
The newspaper reported at the time that the jump to F1 was near, noting that his age (drivers had to be 18) and financial backing were the only obstacles standing in his way.
Financial hurdles and derailment of career
Funding issues continued to plague the family, who spoke publicly about the high costs of competitive motorsport. Carreras previously explained that the family could only afford race fees rather than training sessions, relying on her son's natural skill to deliver results.
Despite finishing as runner-up in the 2018 Asian Formula Renault championship, sponsorship dried up and halted his progression toward Formula One. His dreams of competing alongside top F1 drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris ultimately stalled.
His social media activity reflected his previous aspirations. In February 2018, his X account @AntolinPilotoF3 featured a post thanking a journalist for describing him as the "future Fernando Alonso" holding records that were difficult to beat.
With Gonzalez now in prison awaiting trial for homicide, his once-promising career in professional motorsport has come to a definitive end.
