Outgoing Pirelli Formula 1 boss Mario Isola has admitted that one of his biggest disappointments from his long tenure in the sport is never witnessing Ferrari win a world championship during his time overseeing the championship’s sole tyre supplier.
Isola’s departure was confirmed earlier this year in February, with Dario Marrafuschi set to take over the role. The Miami Grand Prix marked Mario Isola’s final appearance at a Formula 1 race weekend, closing a significant chapter in the modern tyre era of the sport.
Pirelli have supplied tyres to Formula 1 exclusively since the start of the 2011 season, initially under Paul Hembery before Mario Isola assumed leadership in 2017. Since then, the Italian manufacturer has remained at the centre of every strategic and performance-related discussion across the grid.
Mario Isola reflects on Ferrari’s missed opportunities in Formula 1
Looking back on his time in the championship, Mario Isola acknowledged that he had hoped to see Ferrari return to title-winning success while he was still in charge at Pirelli. The Maranello-based team has not secured a world championship since 2008, when Bridgestone was still the official tyre supplier to Formula 1.
While Mario Isola has always maintained professional neutrality due to Pirelli’s role as sole supplier to all teams, he openly admitted that his personal background as an Italian naturally led him to support Ferrari’s success from a distance.
Speaking via Motorsport, Mario Isola explained that it was a shame not to have seen Ferrari win a championship during his tenure and expressed hope that the team will eventually return to the top step of the sport in the future.
Since Pirelli took over from Bridgestone, the competitive landscape has been dominated by Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. Mercedes have secured eight world championships in the Pirelli era, while Red Bull Racing have claimed six, underlining how difficult it has been for Ferrari to consistently compete at the very front of Formula 1.
Ferrari’s closest opportunities came during the Sebastian Vettel era, when the German driver briefly challenged the Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes dominance in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. More recently, Charles Leclerc also started the 2022 season strongly and led the championship early on, only for Ferrari to lose momentum as Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing reasserted control.
Kimi Antonelli brings new hope for Italian success in Formula 1
Despite Ferrari’s continued struggles to return to championship-winning form, Mario Isola highlighted a new source of excitement for Italian motorsport in the shape of Kimi Antonelli, who is widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents on the Formula 1 grid.
Kimi Antonelli has already made headlines by becoming the youngest driver ever to lead the World Championship standings, currently holding a 20-point advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell. He has also made history by converting his first three pole positions into race victories, underlining his rapid rise in the sport.
Italy has not produced a Formula 1 World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, making Antonelli’s emergence particularly significant for Italian fans and the wider motorsport community.
With Mercedes performing strongly under the new technical regulations, there is growing optimism that Kimi Antonelli could play a major role in ending Italy’s long championship drought if his development continues on its current trajectory.
Commenting on hearing the Italian national anthem played on the podium during recent races, Mario Isola described the experience as emotional and expressed hope that such moments would become even more frequent in the upcoming Grands Prix.
As Mario Isola steps away from his role at Pirelli, his reflections capture both a sense of unfinished business with Ferrari and a cautious optimism for the future of Italian drivers in Formula 1, particularly through the rise of Kimi Antonelli.
Leave a Reply