Ferrari would have 'destroyed' Mercedes F1 star

Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Ferrari, Mercedes, Montreal, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Ferrari would have 'destroyed' Mercedes F1 star

Kimi Antonelli isn't driving for his 'home' team

Chris Deeley

Monday 23 March 2026 20:54

Former Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo has admitted that he'd love to see Kimi Antonelli in a red car, but fears the experience would 'destroy him'.

The Italian has been a major figure in the history of the iconic Italian company, most notably in the modern era when he returned as president of Ferrari in the early 1990s, eventually constructing an operation which brought Michael Schumacher – and eventually a host of championships – to Italy for the first time since the early 1980s.

Speaking to Corriere dello Sport recently, Di Montezemolo cast his eye over recent developments in F1, admitting that Antonelli's win 'moved him'. His only issue? "It was a little annoying to see him in a Mercedes."

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However, he did concede that putting a teenager into the Ferrari meat-grinder would most likely have been to Antonelli's detriment – revealing that the team arranged for Felipe to spend some years with Sauber before his promotion for the same reason.

Di Montezemolo: It was annoying to see Antonelli in a Mercedes

"His victory moved me," the 78-year-old said of Antonelli. "He's a 19-year-old who's constantly improving. He'd had trouble starting, yet he didn't lose heart: he took the lead and led without hesitation, only taking risks at the end.

"He showed maturity and composure, uncharacteristic of an Italian, and especially not of someone his age. He has his feet on the ground, and I hope he stays that way; all the potential is there. But it was a little annoying to see him in a Mercedes."

He continued to discuss the changing state of young driver pipelines, saying: "The situation today is different than it was years ago: they don't just look at karting results, but also at simulator numbers; drivers are trained there.

"It's easier to choose very young drivers; the only one who impressed me at the time was Verstappen: at 12, he was the strongest of all, but he was 'taken care of'; I spoke to Helmut Marko about it.

"But taking someone like Antonelli and immediately putting him in Ferrari would have meant destroying him. We parked Massa at Sauber to gain experience."

He continued: "Yes, he would have been under enormous pressure. I remember the days of Lauda and Regazzoni, they wrote that we were giving Niki the best car, and that wasn't true."

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F1 Ferrari Kimi Antonelli Luca Di Montezemolo