Newly crowned Formula 1 world champion Kimi Antonelli arrives at Interlagos this weekend as the newly crowned titleholder, and as Motorsport.com reports, he plans to mark the occasion with a special tribute to his racing hero, Ayrton Senna. The Mercedes driver has confirmed he will wear a custom helmet at the Brazilian Grand Prix to commemorate 35 years since the legendary Brazilian driver secured his famous home victory.
"I will have a special helmet for Brazil, for Ayrton," Antonelli told the media in Mexico. "Also because it’s going to be 35 years since he won in sixth gear, his home race. So, yeah, it’s going to be a tribute helmet for Brazil, for Ayrton, and I think it’s one of my best helmets that I’ve made. So hopefully you guys, everyone, hopefully you will like it."
The young champion's admiration for Senna runs deep, rooted in childhood days spent watching old F1 races on DVD alongside his father. Previously noting that Senna was the driver who stood out above all others, Antonelli chose to race with the iconic number 12 utilized by Senna at Lotus and during his first title-winning campaign with McLaren in 1988.
Having achieved the championship while carrying that famous digit—becoming the first driver to accomplish the feat with that number since Senna himself—Antonelli revealed he will stick with number 12 for 2027 rather than swapping to the champion's traditional number 1.
"I think I'll stay with number 12," Antonelli told the media in Mexico. "I'll stay with number 12 because, obviously, it's a very special number for me. It's also a way for me to stay grounded, to stay humble. I feel like keeping number 12 allows me to have a new point where to start and to build on everything again and try to improve more."
Anticipating the upcoming event, the Mercedes driver expressed high hopes for the atmosphere at the venue. "It’s going to be a very special weekend. I’m very much looking forward to it because the support from Brazil in general has been incredible, not only this year but already from last year. So, yeah, looking forward to going back there, and hopefully it’s going to be a great weekend."
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