Former Ferrari F1 chief regrets seeing Mercedes sign Kimi Antonelli

Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Former Ferrari chief regrets seeing Mercedes sign Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli has enjoyed a solid start to his rookie campaign

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 14 April 2025 22:57

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has revealed that he is impressed with Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli, and has suggested that he should have been put on the pathway to Ferrari.

Di Montezemolo became Ferrari president in 1991, and under his leadership with Jean Todt they helped return the team to drivers’ championship success with Michael Schumacher in 2000.

The former chairman has been increasingly vocal about Ferrari's woes at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, and has also made his feelings known about F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli.

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“Antonelli is a first-rate driver, first of all because he’s in his first year of F1 and he doesn’t make mistakes, but he’s fast and I see him growing. And then he’s from Bologna, like myself,” he said to Sky Sports Italia.

“I’m just sorry to see him in Mercedes. Would I have taken him? At 18 maybe not, but I would have put him at Sauber to do two years there.”

Should Antonelli have signed with Ferrari?

Antonelli is the first Italian driver to race in F1 since Antonio Giovinazzi back in 2021, but was brought into the sport through Mercedes’ junior programme instead of Ferrari’s.

Di Montezemolo’s preference to see Antonelli at Sauber, suggests that he would have liked to have put him into the pipeline towards Ferrari, as many of the team's stars started out at Sauber such as Felipe Massa and their current star Charles Leclerc.

The former Ferrari chief was also incredibly critical of Ferrari’s current set-up in Bahrain, claiming the team ‘lacks a leader’ and describing it as a ‘team without a soul’ after their difficult start to the season.

Antonelli currently sits above Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings, whose consecutive points finishes have bested Ferrari's inconsistent results in 2025 thus far.

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Ferrari Mercedes Charles Leclerc Kimi Antonelli Michael Schumacher Sauber