“Fresh blood” - why Stefano Domenicali believes Kimi Antonelli is an asset to F1

It is still far too early to define what legacy Antonelli will leave on Formula 1 and Italian motorsport. But the hope is that his path can become a benchmark for all those young drivers entering karting or facing their first seasons in single-seaters.

Inspiration not only for young people, but for racing

“I would say it's fantastic, both from the inspiration point of view for the world of racing itself, but also from the younger generation,” said the F1 CEO during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com. “For the world of racing itself, I already see in Italy, kids in karting that are telling the parents, 'who is your [favourite] driver?' Kimi.

“I mean, he won just two races. Just to see how big the effect [is] of his incredible start of the season, it's an inspiration for a lot of young drivers and a lot of young people.

“My daughter, she's the same age, 2006. Now she's following, because it's Kimi, he's the same age. All the friends are following of that age. You cannot believe that, you know in Italy, it's incredible.

“He's fresh blood, he's a good guy, good base. He's still a pure guy, which gives exactly the value that we want in our sport. Normal people that are becoming really something unique in terms of performance, in terms of role model, that is really great.”

Watch: Autosport's Exclusive Interview with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali

Could this change the way F1 is followed in Italy?

These characteristics are not only reflected in Formula 1 but also in Italy, which has long awaited a driver capable not only of consistently fighting at the front, but also of reigniting hopes for a world title and the dream of seeing the Italian flag alongside the world champion’s laurels – a sight absent for over seventy years.

“For Italy, it's fantastic,” Domenicali added. “I mean, there's a lot of attention and it will be the first time, as I really hope for Kimi to, it's just at the beginning, just won two races. Even it's two races, not a lot of people won two races."

Italy has a long and deep connection with racing and, even more specifically, with Formula 1. The Italian flag runs through the technical departments thanks to the many engineers working in teams, numerous partners and sponsors, Racing Bulls, and above all Ferrari: a central symbol that, because of its history, prestige, and charm, is often perceived as Italy’s national team in motorsport.

But according to Domenicali, it will be interesting to see whether Kimi’s rise might change where Italian fans focus their attention.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

“It will be interesting to watch with the Italian eye, to see how there could be potentially a switch of attention from the Italian fans to be Ferrari only, Domenicali added. “You can be, for whatever country you are in Ferrari, you're going to be the driver to cheer for, versus Kimi, Italian driver, not driving for Ferrari.

“That would be an incredible story to follow because of course Ferrari is Ferrari, it's huge, it's monumental. But an Italian driver like Kimi, that is coming from the same region, with the same accent and so on, could be interested to see how this shift will be big and how strong will be the attention.”

Kimi has the qualities to fight and be a protagonist

Antonelli has taken a path without intermediate steps, even skipping FIA Formula 3 Championship to move directly to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, paving the way to Formula 1. Part of the credit goes to Wolff, who in the summer of 2024, despite other appealing options on the market, chose to bet on a raw talent.

“Without saying: ‘why Ferrari didn't take it,’ and by the way on that, I have to say the truth once again. There will be a lot of criticism or accusation with a little bit of bitter smile on Toto, when he took him, cutting his path through Formula 1, jumping from championships to championships, taking him already last year as a first year in that position. I don't know how many team principals would have done that,” Domenicali explained.

“So, credit to him, he had a good eye. And now I think that he has to protect that jewel, that investment. But I remember in races where Kimi didn't perform very well in Formula 2, [people] said: ‘you know he's not ready’. But at the end of the day, he was strong enough, solid with himself to learn, and now he's a protagonist, he's there, he will fight.

“Of course he has a great car, but I think that the way that he drove was remarkably strong, in terms of performance, in terms of pace, in terms of understanding, you know, how to push and how to manage that.

“And of course you can say in the last race, safety car, different lap, would have been different the result. [That] doesn't change what is happening now, I mean, now he has to show, and his environment has to protect him, because he will be, you know, flooded by request, attention.

“It's important that he will keep that approach that has been so far, is a key element of success. So, I wish all the best for him, for sure.”

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