Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli feeling the pressure after Italian heartbreak

Mercedes

Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli feeling the pressure after Italian heartbreak

Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 12 April 2026 22:42

Italian F1 star Kimi Antonelli has vowed to try and bring sporting glory to his country after a recent heartbreak.

The Italian teenager currently leads the drivers' championship after back-to-back grand prix victories in China and Japan, and he's the youngest ever driver to have topped the F1 drivers' championship standings.

His most recent victory in Japan, however, came in the same week as an Italian sporting nightmare.

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The national football team failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the third World Cup in a row that they have not qualified for.

Italy won the 2020 European Championships, but have struggled in terms of European qualification groups for World Cups.

Their underperformance has not been lost on Antonelli, who is determined to do his country proud by continuing to be victorious in F1 as the 2026 season progresses.

"Obviously, it's a shame we're not going to the World Cup this year," Antonelli told Tuttosport. "I have wonderful memories of the European Championships.

"I remember being at the European Championship race in Naples, in Sarno, and after winning the race, my mother and I rushed to the car and drove home as quickly as possible because we wanted to watch the European Championship final.

"That was a wonderful time, because seeing the national team play in the European Championships was truly beautiful.

"Obviously, I was really disappointed not to see the national team qualify for the World Cup. It's one more reason to try to continue to bring Italy to the top in my field."

Can Antonelli bring Italy the championship?

While Italian football fans are likely in despair at their country's failure, Italian F1 fans are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, with Antonelli and Ferrari performing so well in F1 2026.

Italy has not had a serious contender for the drivers' championship arguably since Alberto Ascari won it back in 1953.

Riccardo Patrese came a very distant second in the 1992 standings, while 1978 world champion Mario Andretti was born in Italy but was a US citizen and represented the US when racing in the sport.

Antonelli has the tools to become world champion, with Mercedes the dominant team in 2026, but time will tell as to whether he can sustain a challenge all-season long against his much more experienced team-mate George Russell, and with the Ferraris and McLarens closing behind.

F1 Mercedes Kimi Antonelli