Toto Wolff believes the reaction of Ferrari supporters to Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Monza demonstrated that Italian Formula 1 fans no longer have to choose simply between the Scuderia and a successful home driver. The Mercedes team principal watched the predominantly red crowd beneath the podium celebrate Antonelli’s historic Italian Grand Prix triumph and came away convinced that Italy effectively now has two opportunities to enjoy success.
Antonelli’s achievement carried particular significance. The 20-year-old became the first Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti triumphed for Ferrari at Monza in 1966, ending a 60-year wait. He did so from 19th on the grid after receiving an engine penalty, turning the weekend into another major statement in his 2026 championship campaign.
Toto Wolff sees Ferrari fans embrace Kimi Antonelli at Monza
Much of the build-up to the race had centred on a fascinating question: would the Tifosi support Antonelli as Italy’s championship leader, or would their loyalty to Ferrari remain overwhelming? The debate was particularly relevant at Monza, where red traditionally dominates the grandstands and the Scuderia carries the emotional weight of a national sporting institution.
The question had already been raised ahead of the weekend, with discussion over whether the Tifosi would prioritise Ferrari or Kimi Antonelli at Monza as the Italian youngster arrived in the championship lead.
For Wolff, what happened after the chequered flag provided a clear answer. Watching the mass of Ferrari supporters beneath the podium celebrate Antonelli, he concluded that the two allegiances can coexist. In his view, Ferrari remains effectively Italy’s national team, while Antonelli has simultaneously restored the possibility of an Italian driver fighting for the biggest prize in Formula 1.
The Mercedes boss described Antonelli as a brilliant young talent who has revived a dream that Italian fans have been missing for generations. Rather than viewing his success with Mercedes as incompatible with support for Ferrari, Wolff believes Italians can now see themselves as having two different routes to victory.
Antonelli strengthens championship lead with seventh F1 victory
The scale of the Monza performance also reinforced why Antonelli has become such an important figure for Italian motorsport. His victory was his seventh Grand Prix win and increased his championship advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell to 66 points after 13 rounds.
Those numbers have established Antonelli firmly at the head of the 2026 title fight during only his second season in Formula 1. The latest championship picture can also be followed through the Formula 1 driver standings.
Winning from 19th on the grid after an engine penalty made the Italian Grand Prix particularly memorable. It also arrived on an afternoon when Ferrari was unable to give its home supporters the result they had wanted, making the reception Antonelli received beneath the podium even more revealing.
Kimi Antonelli arrived at Monza with rare piece of Italian F1 history
Antonelli had already achieved something extraordinary before the Grand Prix even started. By arriving at Monza at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, he became the first Italian to lead the Formula 1 standings heading into an Italian Grand Prix since Alberto Ascari during his title-winning 1953 season.
That historical context explains why the traditional Ferrari-versus-driver question carried unusual weight in 2026. For decades, Italian Formula 1 identity has been centred overwhelmingly on the Prancing Horse rather than on an individual home driver capable of challenging for the championship.
Ascari remains the most recent Italian to win the Drivers’ Championship, having secured consecutive titles in 1952 and 1953. Giuseppe Farina had previously become Formula 1’s first world champion in 1950. Antonelli therefore has the opportunity to become only the third Italian Drivers’ Champion and the first since Ascari.
The rarity of that opportunity gives Wolff’s observation additional significance. Ferrari’s position within Italian motorsport has not diminished, but Antonelli is creating a second focal point for supporters who have waited decades to see one of their own competing consistently at the very front.
Antonelli is rapidly climbing Italy’s all-time F1 win list
His seven victories also place Antonelli prominently among Italy’s most successful Formula 1 drivers. Farina won five Grands Prix, while Ascari collected 13 victories. Together with Antonelli’s seven, those three drivers account for 25 of the 50 Formula 1 Grand Prix victories achieved by Italians.
Only two other Italian drivers have recorded more than three wins: Riccardo Patrese with six and Michele Alboreto with five. Antonelli’s results have therefore already moved him into distinguished company despite being only in his second F1 campaign.
For much of the period since the 1950s, Italy lacked a dominant home driver around whom supporters could build a sustained championship challenge. In that environment, Ferrari increasingly became the country’s primary Formula 1 identity, creating the unusual situation Antonelli now finds himself navigating as an Italian star competing for one of the Scuderia’s major rivals.
Monza support for Antonelli had been building since 2024
The warmth shown to Antonelli after his 2026 win was not entirely new. There had already been signs of the connection between the Bologna-born driver and the Monza crowd when he made his Formula 1 weekend debut during first practice at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.
What has changed is his status. Antonelli is no longer merely an exciting Italian prospect receiving encouragement from his home fans. He arrived at Monza as the championship leader, won the race from the back end of the grid and left with an even stronger advantage at the top of the standings.
That development has changed the dynamic for a fanbase historically associated above all with Ferrari. The 2026 Formula 1 season has given Italian supporters the possibility of following the Scuderia while simultaneously watching an Italian driver mount a genuine championship challenge.
For Wolff, the scene beneath the Monza podium captured that new reality. Ferrari remains Italy’s team, but Antonelli has brought back something that has been absent for generations: a home driver capable of giving the country another reason to believe it can win at the highest level of Formula 1.
Leave a Reply