He was supposed to be the F1 world champion. He killed his father during an argument.

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Gonzalez was destined to be a driver on the level of Fernando Alonso. When he first got into a kart at the age of eight, he immediately broke the track record. At thirteen, he became the youngest driver to drive an F3 car. One moment changed his life completely.

Antolin Gonzalez Sr., 56, was still alive when emergency services arrived. The Spaniard died from a stab wound to the neck. Antolin Junior had visited the businessman moments earlier. A father-son conversation escalated into an argument, which in turn ended in a fistfight with tragic consequences.

Antolin Gonzalez Jr. confessed to the murder, but claimed he acted in self-defense after his father attacked him with a machete.

The driver had been going through his parents' divorce for the past year. After another argument, he decided to remedy the situation. He went to the storage unit run by his father. His father told him to gather his belongings and leave. From there, things escalated rapidly. A fistfight broke out, and the father suffered a slashing wound to his neck.

The breakdown of his parents' relationship affected Antolin's career. He did everything he could to keep his mother safe. He feared she might be in danger due to "daily threats" from his father. The driver's mother, an amateur handball player, feared for her life.

Antolin's defense attorney, Jose Luis Vegas, admitted that his father was the driver's greatest support throughout his racing career. His parents' divorce had a significant impact on him. "My client doesn't remember everything that happened in that warehouse. He suffered a psychotic episode when he saw his father with a machete. He was separated from his father for a year because of his parents' divorce," the lawyer admitted, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

If he reaches a plea agreement with prosecutors, Antolin Gonzalez could face a prison sentence of around five years. Otherwise, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. The player is currently in custody in Spain. At best, he will be around 30 when he is released. His career is effectively over.

Gonzalez was destined to follow in the footsteps of Fernando Alonso. He came from a relatively wealthy family that dealt in dried fruit wholesale. During one Christmas shopping trip, his parents allowed young Antolin to do a few laps at the local go-kart track. The eight-year-old's result shocked the track owner.

Antolin set a lap record. He successfully competed in karting competitions for two years. He also participated in tests in Great Britain, but a change in regulations prevented such a young driver from moving to the UK. Despite this, his career continued as planned, with local media reporting that "a star was born."

At 13, Antolin was driving an F3 car, and two years later, he was racing for the Drivex team. Everyone predicted a great Formula 1 career for him. In 2018, the Spaniard finished second in the Asian Formula Renault. However, the costs of racing were becoming an increasing financial burden on the family budget. The teenage boy watched firsthand as his parents' marriage fell apart.

Antolin Gonzalez was never destined to make it to Formula 1. His family life fell apart in the worst possible way, and he's reflecting on the last few years of his life from a Spanish prison cell. If he receives the harshest sentence possible in such cases, he'll be out of prison for 40 years. Too late to return to motorsport, and very late to rebuild his life.