Piero Ferrari, the son of legendary Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, has revealed his desire to see Andrea Kimi Antonelli race for the Scuderia following the Mercedes driver’s historic 2026 Formula 1 World Championship triumph. The Ferrari shareholder has also drawn a remarkable comparison between the young Italian and Niki Lauda, one of Maranello’s most celebrated world champions.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the Drivers’ Championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history at just 20 years old. His achievement has brought Italy its first F1 title since Alberto Ascari’s success in 1953, and Piero Ferrari believes the Mercedes star possesses qualities reminiscent of a driver who helped define one of the most successful periods in Ferrari’s history.
Piero Ferrari wants Kimi Antonelli to drive for Ferrari
For Piero Ferrari, watching an Italian driver return to the summit of Formula 1 has prompted a particularly personal ambition. The 10% shareholder in Ferrari has made it clear that he would love to see Andrea Kimi Antonelli wearing the famous red racing overalls in the future.
Speaking to Swiss publication Blick, Piero Ferrari explained that seeing the newly crowned world champion representing the Maranello team was now his greatest wish. He also revealed that Antonelli reminds him of Niki Lauda whenever he watches the young driver compete.
The comparison carries considerable weight given the family’s connection to Ferrari’s racing history. Niki Lauda won two of his three Formula 1 World Championships with the Italian manufacturer, claiming the titles in 1975 and 1977.
This was not the first occasion on which Piero Ferrari had identified similarities between the Mercedes driver and the Austrian legend. He had previously highlighted Antonelli’s maturity, describing how the youngster demonstrated an unusually developed approach to racing almost immediately after entering Formula 1.
That ability to perform at the highest level despite limited experience is central to the comparison. Niki Lauda secured his first championship in 1975, during his second season with Ferrari, having joined Maranello in 1974 following earlier spells with March and BRM.
Antonelli has followed a different career path, but his rapid rise to the world title has similarly demonstrated how quickly a talented driver can establish himself at the front of Formula 1.
Kimi Antonelli makes F1 history with championship victory in Mexico
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s achievement at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez marked another extraordinary milestone in a Formula 1 career that began only in 2025.
The Bologna-born driver finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, securing enough points to become the 2026 world champion with four rounds of the championship still remaining.
He left Mexico with a 119-point advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, making it mathematically impossible for his rivals to catch him. At 20 years old, the Mercedes driver also broke the record previously held by Sebastian Vettel, becoming the youngest champion in the sport’s history by more than three years.
His consistency throughout the campaign has been just as impressive as his championship-winning achievement. The Mexican Grand Prix marked Antonelli’s 16th podium finish from 19 Grands Prix in 2026, underlining the sustained level of performance that allowed him to secure the title so early.
The championship also places him in an exceptionally exclusive group of Italian Formula 1 drivers. Only Giuseppe Farina and Alberto Ascari had previously won the Drivers’ World Championship for Italy. Giuseppe Farina claimed the inaugural title in 1950 with Alfa Romeo, while Alberto Ascari secured consecutive championships for Ferrari in 1952 and 1953.
Ascari became the first of nine drivers to win the world championship for the Maranello team. The most recent was Kimi Räikkönen, who secured Ferrari’s last Drivers’ Championship in 2007.
Those achievements form an important part of the Scuderia’s history, which can be explored through the Ferrari Formula 1 driver records and statistics, covering the careers and championship achievements of the team’s current and former drivers.
Mercedes’ decision to replace Lewis Hamilton with Kimi Antonelli pays off
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s championship success also represents an extraordinary return on the faith Mercedes placed in him when it decided to promote the Italian teenager into Formula 1.
The opportunity emerged when seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes at the end of 2024 to begin a new chapter with Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc. Rather than choosing an experienced replacement, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff entrusted the vacant seat to Antonelli, who was only 18 when he made his Formula 1 debut in 2025.
Just one season later, the decision has been rewarded with a world championship. The Italian has established himself as Mercedes’ leading championship contender while delivering nine Grand Prix victories in the W17 during the 2026 campaign. His rise has been particularly important because teammate George Russell has fallen outside the top three in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
For Ferrari, the circumstances also create an intriguing connection between its current driver line-up and the newly crowned champion. Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari created the vacancy that ultimately gave Antonelli his opportunity at Mercedes.
Now, the son of the Scuderia’s founder has publicly expressed his desire to see the young Italian eventually make the opposite journey to Maranello.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight for second as Antonelli celebrates
Although the 2026 Drivers’ Championship has already been decided, the battle for second place remains extremely close heading into the final four Grands Prix.
Max Verstappen strengthened his position by winning the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who secured second place for Ferrari. The result moved the Red Bull driver into second place in the championship with 261 points, just two ahead of Hamilton on 259. George Russell follows with 250 points.
Four rounds remain on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with the championship continuing through Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Max Verstappen’s victory in Mexico was his third Grand Prix success of the season with Red Bull’s debut RBPT power unit. That brought his tally level with George Russell, who has also won three races driving the Mercedes W17.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, has secured nine victories in the same Mercedes machinery, establishing a commanding advantage over the rest of the field. With the championship already secured, the young Italian can approach the final races as Formula 1’s newest world champion while the battle for the remaining positions continues behind him.
Could Kimi Antonelli eventually fulfil Piero Ferrari’s dream?
Piero Ferrari’s admiration adds another dimension to an already remarkable moment for Italian motorsport. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has ended a 73-year wait for an Italian Formula 1 world champion, while simultaneously attracting praise from one of the most important figures connected to Ferrari’s history.
The comparison with Niki Lauda reflects the impression Antonelli has made through his maturity, consistency and rapid progression to the highest level of the sport. For now, the 20-year-old remains a Mercedes driver, having achieved his historic breakthrough with the team that gave him his Formula 1 opportunity.
Nevertheless, Piero Ferrari’s comments make his personal preference unmistakable. After watching Antonelli become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history, the son of Enzo Ferrari would like nothing more than to see another Italian world champion competing in the famous red colours of Maranello.
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