It is quite something when a football stadium stops to pay homage to a racing driver. As Crash.net reports, Formula 1 world champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli was spotted fighting back tears while taking in some downtime at the San Siro, watching Italy defeat France 3-1 in the Nations League.
During the fixture, the massive crowd of 70,000 started chanting his name to celebrate Italy's new sporting hero. When the big screen projected his face to the stadium, Antonelli could be seen reacting with a simple "Wow" to the reception. This moment marked his very first home crowd ovation since securing the world championship with four races to spare.
Antonelli's path to this status has been historic. At 20 years old, he secured the record as F1's youngest-ever world champion in Mexico, alongside becoming the first Italian to capture the drivers' title in 73 years. That followed an unforgettable home victory at Monza where he surged from 19th on the grid to become the first Italian home winner in 60 years. More recently, a fifth-place finish in Brazil allowed him to help his Mercedes team secure the constructors' world championship.
Following a weekend off, Antonelli will head back to racing action at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 22 November. That event kicks off a final triple-header of the 2026 season that is scheduled to conclude with races in Qatar on 29 November and Abu Dhabi on 6 December, even amidst the ongoing conflict between the United States/Israel and Iran.
While Imola had been preparing as a back-up venue, Formula 1 has told the Italian circuit to stand down. However, the championship could still cancel the final two rounds if the situation in the Middle East deteriorates further, which would leave Las Vegas as the season finale and shorten the campaign to 21 events.
F1
F1
