Italy celebrated Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 title on Monday after the 20-year-old secured the championship with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The result made him the sport’s youngest world champion and ended Italy’s wait for a champion that had lasted since Alberto Ascari’s 1953 title.
Antonelli, who was born in Bologna and drives for Mercedes, was praised by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a post on X, she described his success as an “extraordinary achievement” and said it was a source of great pride for the country.
Italian newspapers joined the celebrations. La Gazzetta dello Sport ran the headline “Kimitico,” a play on words meaning “legendary Kimi,” while La Stampa used “Kimi nella leggenda,” or “Kimi enters history.”
Fans gathered to watch the race at the Checco Costa museum at Imola’s circuit, where several hundred people followed the broadcast. Although Imola is Ferrari’s home track, supporters set aside that allegiance to back Antonelli. A public viewing was also held at a cinema in Bologna, and the city’s top-flight football club posted on X: “All of Bologna is proud of you.”
Antonelli’s path to Formula 1 began early. His father, a sports car driver, took him to circuits as a child, and Mercedes signed him as a kart racer when he was 11. In Rome, resident Giovanni called the title extraordinary after such a long gap without an Italian champion, whether driving for Ferrari or another team.
Another Roman resident, Daniela Bulgarini, compared Antonelli with tennis champion Jannik Sinner, describing them as two bright stars of Italian sport and praising the young driver’s talent and hard work.
Sources: Folha Esporte.