Valentino Rossi calls Kimi Antonelli's Formula 1 title charge 'very special' for Italy
Listen, when a nine-time motorcycle world champion sits up and takes notice of a kid rewriting the record books, you stop and listen. Valentino Rossi has been watching Kimi Antonelli tear up the Formula 1 field this season, and the Italian icon is completely captivated by what is happening. At just 19 years of age, the Mercedes youngster is doing something Italy hasn't seen in generations.
Here is the reality of the standings at the halfway point of the season with 11 Grands Prix completed and another 12 to come after the Bahrain Grand Prix returned to the schedule, hosted by Malaysia: Antonelli sits right at the top of the drivers' standings. The teenager holds a 50-point lead over second-placed Lewis Hamilton, while sitting 59 points clear of his team mate George Russell. All of this is happening in just his second F1 campaign, completely blowing away expectations after a rookie year defined by its up-and-down nature.
Rossi, speaking to Sky Sports F1, explained the unique weight of the situation. "You can imagine in Italy, with Ferrari, it is like a religion you know," Rossi said, before adding his own perspective on driver fandom. "For sure all the Italians are happy when Ferrari win. But I am more a driver fan. I follow Lando, I follow Lewis, I follow the driver. You know, if you drive for McLaren or for Ferrari, for me it is not a big difference. So, I am with Kimi now. He is a great talent, he has a lot of speed and, in Italy, we never had a Formula 1 driver who can win the championship in the last 70 years, so this is very special."
The drought Rossi references is historic. The last Italian Formula 1 World Champion was Alberto Ascari back in 1953, and the last Italian to take a race victory before Antonelli was Giancarlo Fisichella way back in 2006. On top of that, Ferrari's last Constructors' title came in 2008. The sheer magnitude of Antonelli's championship challenge means the reception waiting for him at Monza and the Temple of Speed is going to be absolute insanity.
Yet, the young star is keeping his feet firmly on the ground with a bit of humor. During the press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, he was asked whether he or tennis world number one and Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner held the crown for being more famous in Italy right now. His response? "More famous in Italy is Charles, right now," Antonelli joked. "He's probably the most famous man in Italy."