Kimi Antonelli’s outstanding 2026 Formula 1 season is beginning to reshape one of Italian motorsport’s most established traditions, with Flavio Briatore believing the Mercedes driver is gradually winning over supporters normally associated with Ferrari. The Alpine executive has highlighted the young Italian’s rapidly growing popularity and placed him alongside tennis star Jannik Sinner among the country’s leading sporting figures.
For decades, Ferrari has occupied a unique position in Italy’s relationship with Formula 1, with support traditionally centred more strongly on the team than on any individual Italian driver. Antonelli’s emergence provides a different dynamic: one of the championship’s leading young talents is Italian but races for Mercedes, one of the Scuderia’s major rivals.
Kimi Antonelli is attracting Ferrari fans, says Flavio Briatore
Flavio Briatore believes Antonelli’s performances have already begun to alter that traditional balance. Assessing his growing profile, the Italian manager identified Jannik Sinner and Kimi Antonelli as the two major names in Italian sport at present.
Briatore went further when considering Antonelli’s effect on Formula 1 supporters. In his view, the Mercedes driver is gradually winning over Ferrari fans, with what the youngster has achieved during the 2026 season deserving to be considered remarkable.
That assessment is particularly significant because of Ferrari’s historic connection with its domestic fanbase. The passion surrounding the Maranello team has long transcended individual drivers, but Antonelli’s combination of nationality and results is giving Italian supporters another compelling figure to follow even though he competes in Mercedes colours.
The young driver’s rise has also come during an extremely strong period for Mercedes. Antonelli’s Madrid victory added to his growing collection of achievements, with his success even seeing him match a Juan Manuel Fangio benchmark with Mercedes.
Briatore praises Antonelli’s speed and lack of mistakes
Briatore’s enthusiasm is not based solely on Antonelli’s popularity. He also praised the Italian’s driving, emphasising how well he has performed despite his youth and the pressure associated with competing at the front of Formula 1.
The Alpine executive described Antonelli as extremely strong and clear in his approach while particularly highlighting his ability to avoid mistakes. For Briatore, the fact that the Mercedes driver is producing that level of performance while still being so young makes his progress even more impressive.
Antonelli’s trajectory has developed rapidly since his arrival in Formula 1. Mercedes promoted him into the seat vacated by Lewis Hamilton, creating the unusual situation of an Italian prospect beginning his Grand Prix career with a direct rival of Ferrari. Even during the more difficult phases of his rookie campaign, Hamilton publicly supported his Mercedes successor, while Toto Wolff highlighted the similarities he recognised between Hamilton and Antonelli.
His 2026 performances have since strengthened his profile considerably, both within Formula 1 and among the Italian public.
Antonelli and Jannik Sinner emerge as two young Italian sporting stars
Briatore sees Antonelli’s emergence as a positive development extending beyond Mercedes or the individual driver. Referring to a previous observation from Stella, he argued that having a potential champion such as Antonelli was beneficial both for Formula 1 and for Italy.
He again linked the Mercedes youngster with Jannik Sinner, stressing that Italy is fortunate to have two outstanding young talents attracting attention on the international sporting stage.
The comparison underlines how far Antonelli’s public profile has developed. Rather than being viewed solely as an emerging Formula 1 driver, Briatore now considers him part of a much wider Italian sporting conversation.
Ferrari now shares Italian F1 attention with a homegrown Mercedes star
None of this diminishes Ferrari’s historic importance to Italian Formula 1. The Scuderia remains the country’s defining presence in the championship, with generations of supporters identifying with the team regardless of the nationality of the drivers in its cars.
Antonelli nevertheless represents something unusual. Italy now has a homegrown driver producing major results at the front of Formula 1, and he is doing so for Mercedes while Ferrari continues its own pursuit of the championship’s benchmark. That combination gives Italian supporters a personal connection to a rival team’s success that has rarely existed in recent seasons.
The competitive picture makes the development even more significant. Mercedes has established itself as the leading force of the 2026 campaign, while Ferrari has been attempting to close the technical deficit with the SF-26. The Maranello team has therefore continued development of its current car, partly because Ferrari believes SF-26 improvements can also contribute to its 2027 project.
For Briatore, however, Antonelli’s impact already extends beyond championship points and technical comparisons. His performances are creating a new focal point for Italian Formula 1 fans, and the Alpine executive believes even some of Ferrari’s traditional supporters are increasingly being drawn towards the young Mercedes driver.
That leaves Italian Formula 1 with an unusual but potentially valuable dynamic: Ferrari remains its historic sporting institution, while Antonelli is emerging as a successful Italian driver capable of building his own following at the front of the grid. Briatore’s assessment suggests the two forms of support no longer have to be mutually exclusive.
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