Kimi Antonelli opens up on Ferrari F1 move

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli opens up on Ferrari F1 move

Italy squared?

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 6 September 2026 12:57

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Kimi Antonelli has admitted that he has accepted that he will be linked with Ferrari throughout his F1 career, regardless of where he's driving.

The 20-year-old Italian made his F1 debut as a teenager last season with Mercedes, with his home fans immediately getting excited about the possibility of having one of their own drivers in a Ferrari one day.

Antonelli has now arrived at his second home grand prix as the championship leader by some margin – although he's unlikely to provide a home victory this year, set to start from the back of the grid after a costly engine change – and the Tifosi continue to dream of an Italian Ferrari driver at the top of the standings.

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While the Scuderia have won a number of championships over the years, no Italian driver has claimed the drivers' championship since Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953, both behind the wheel of a Ferrari.

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Antonelli aware Ferrari links will follow him for life

Antonelli has shown no signs that he's thinking about ditching Mercedes - whose junior team he joined at the age of just 12 - for his home team, but admitted on Thursday at Monza that he knows he'll be linked with the famous red cars for as long as he races.

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “Being an Italian myself, I know how emotional we are and how excited we can get about things. Sometimes overly excited. So, of course there will always be this kind of talk.

“But at the end of the day, as much as Ferrari is massive, incredible brand, I’m very happy where I am. I’m very happy with Mercedes because they’re the one who gave me the opportunity since I was a kid, and I feel like I have so much to give back to them.”

F1 history suggests that Antonelli will eventually leave Mercedes – no F1 driver who has started even 75 races has ended their career without driving for multiple teams – and also suggests that Ferrari will at least have a competitive car for most of the youngster's career.

Never say never. For Antonelli and Ferrari, call it 'not yet'.