Former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has praised Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s extraordinary rise in Formula 1, describing the young Mercedes driver’s achievements as a turning point for Italian motorsport. With just two points reportedly separating the 20-year-old from securing the 2026 F1 World Championship, Italy is on the verge of celebrating its first drivers’ title in 73 years, since Alberto Ascari’s triumph in 1953.
The celebrations could begin as early as Sunday evening at the Mexico City Grand Prix, immediately after the chequered flag. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has become a hugely popular figure among Formula 1 fans, but his success also carries wider significance for Italian motorsport. For the first time in decades, the country could celebrate a world champion without having to rely on Ferrari, which has regularly finished near the front but has struggled to turn its competitiveness into victories.
Montezemolo sees Kimi Antonelli as a turning point for Italian Formula 1
Few people understand Ferrari’s history and the expectations surrounding Italian motorsport better than Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. The former Ferrari president, who led the Maranello team between 1991 and 2014, believes Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a talent capable of leaving a lasting mark on Formula 1 and representing a defining moment for Italian sport.
Both men also share a connection to Bologna, something that adds a personal dimension to the former Ferrari president’s admiration. Beyond the Mercedes driver’s performances on the circuit, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo sees qualities that remind him of previous great champions, particularly the importance of personal development and upbringing alongside sporting talent.
Speaking to Il Resto del Carlino, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo declared: “Kimi’s achievement changes the history of motorsport and Italian sport. And I say that as someone who, throughout my long involvement with Ferrari, never had the opportunity to fight for the title with an Italian driver. I regret that a little, but at the time two champions such as Michele Alboreto and Riccardo Patrese were nearing the end of their careers, and there were no Italian drivers of the required calibre.”
Former Ferrari president reflects on Italian drivers and his Maranello years
The comments reveal a lingering regret from Luca Cordero di Montezemolo’s long association with Ferrari. Despite overseeing one of the most successful periods in the team’s history, he never experienced the opportunity to challenge for the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with an Italian driver.
His reference to Michele Alboreto and Riccardo Patrese highlights the difficulties of finding an Italian contender capable of fighting at the very highest level during his time at Maranello. Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s emergence now offers Italy an opportunity to end a championship drought that stretches back to Alberto Ascari, whose achievements remain an important part of Ferrari’s Formula 1 heritage.
The wider contrast with Ferrari’s current position is particularly striking. While Charles Leclerc remains confident Ferrari can return to winning ways in 2026, the Italian driver’s success with Mercedes has provided the country with a different reason to celebrate Formula 1 at the highest level.
Montezemolo praises Kimi Antonelli’s family and upbringing
For Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, however, the significance of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s achievements extends well beyond racing results. The former Ferrari president placed particular emphasis on the influence of the young driver’s family, praising the values he believes helped shape both his personality and his approach to life.
“We can feel the full strength of his family. We live in times when social fragmentation begins precisely in the most basic unit, the family. Kimi has been fortunate to grow up alongside parents who knew how to instil in him the right sense of life. I am pleased to emphasise this, regardless of sporting results, and it makes this young man particularly dear to me, along with his Bolognese roots. Sometimes I find myself thinking that the first successor to ‘Ciccio’ Ascari could only have been born in Bologna, a 20-minute drive from Maranello,” Luca Cordero di Montezemolo added.
The comparison with Alberto Ascari carries particular historical significance. Italy’s last Formula 1 world champion secured the title in 1953, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli now stands on the brink of ending that remarkable wait. The young Mercedes driver could achieve the milestone after just two seasons in Formula 1, underlining the speed of his rise to the top of the sport.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces a new challenge as the 2027 F1 season approaches
With the 2026 Drivers’ Championship potentially about to be decided, attention is already beginning to turn towards what comes next for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. If he secures the title, the young Italian will enter the 2027 Formula 1 season as the reigning world champion, bringing a completely different level of expectation and responsibility.
Defending a world championship will involve enormous pressure, particularly for someone still at such an early stage of his Formula 1 career. Nevertheless, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has already demonstrated the resilience required to handle intense expectations, despite his young age.
For Italy, his achievement would represent a historic breakthrough. For Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, it would also confirm the arrival of a driver whose sporting ability, family background and personal qualities make him a particularly important figure for the future of Italian motorsport. The remaining mathematical possibilities in the championship can be explored through the 2026 F1 championship points calculator.
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