A former Spanish racing prodigy, once tipped for Formula One, has described the fatal confrontation that led to his father's death, an event for which he is currently awaiting trial. Antolin Gonzalez, 24, recounted the stabbing of his father, also named Antolin, in a July 5, 2023, incident at the family warehouse in Aranda de Duero, Spain.
Gonzalez confessed to the stabbing in October of the same year. His defense has previously suggested the confrontation escalated from an argument concerning his parents' divorce, a separation that reportedly strained the relationship between Gonzalez and his father. In his recent statement to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Gonzalez described arriving at the warehouse to find his father.
"He asked me quite aggressively what I was doing there, and approached me in a violent manner," Gonzalez told El Mundo, recalling the initial exchange about the divorce agreement. He stated that his father responded rudely, asserting ownership over everything. Gonzalez's account details an attempt to de-escalate the situation, suggesting he went further into the warehouse to retrieve personal items. It was then, he claims, that his father approached him with a knife.
"I obviously pushed him trying to take the knife away from him, but I couldn't," Gonzalez recounted. "At that point I got very scared and we started struggling. I remember trying to take the knife away from him, and he cut himself and I don't know how I instinctively ended up hitting him several times."
Gonzalez stated he remembers "flashes with the knife, and my father approaching me." He added, "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."
After the incident, Gonzalez said he saw his father staggering and clutching his neck before falling. He attempted to cover the wound, but fled when he saw cars stop nearby, fearing discovery. He later admitted to discarding the knife in a river and was arrested shortly after, having called his mother. He was taken into custody in the village of Sinovas.
Gonzalez, who began karting at age eight and became the youngest pilot to race an F3 car at 13, was once compared to Formula One driver Fernando Alonso. His racing career, however, has been overshadowed by legal proceedings. His lawyer indicated in December that they were seeking a plea deal that could result in a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, citing "overwhelming fear" as a mitigating factor. The outcome of these negotiations and the potential trial remain pending.
His mother, Raquel Carreras, reportedly supported him throughout his racing career and was receiving threats from her ex-husband around the time of the incident. A family spokesman stated that Gonzalez had prioritized being near his mother following his parents' divorce.
Gonzalez is currently held at Burgos Prison, where he has been participating in activities such as painting and sports as a means of distraction. He expressed deep regret for the events, telling El Mundo, "This has marked me, and it is going to be something that will haunt me forever."