– With Kimi Antonelli, Italy has for the first time in decades a driver at the top of Formula 1. The 19-year-old became the first Italian Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in the 2006 season and currently leads the drivers’ world championship.
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He could thus become the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 by the end of the year. And many Ferrari fans are already dreaming that the new superstar from their own country might one day also race for the Scuderia.
The teenager has now, however, first rejected such speculation. “Ferrari is a huge team with an incredible fan base and will go down in history forever,” Antonelli says, but emphasizes: “I am a Mercedes driver.”
“And my goal is to win with Mercedes,” he makes clear and recalls: “They gave me a great opportunity at a young age, supported me throughout my entire path, and I feel obliged to give my best for this team.”
Photo series: Since 1960: Ferrari Formula 1 drivers without a win for the Scuderia
Antonelli joined the Mercedes junior team in 2019 at the age of just twelve. The Stuttgart-based team accompanied him through all junior formula series and finally promoted him in 2025 directly from Formula 2 to the Formula 1 factory team.
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The last Italian driver to start for Ferrari in the top class was also Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009. As a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa, he took part in a total of five races for the Scuderia at that time but did not score a single world championship point.
The last Grand Prix winner from Italy for Ferrari to date is Michele Alboreto. In the 1985 season, he won twice for the Scuderia and finished as vice world champion. That was 21 years before Kimi Antonelli was even born.
It is therefore not surprising that many Ferrari fans finally wish for a (successful) Italian in the cockpit again. However, an Antonelli move to Maranello will not happen at least in the foreseeable future.
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