It is a world championship marked by blue colors, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli leading the drivers’ standings and Ferrari still in the running for both titles. In Italy, however, not everyone manages to rejoice in the successes of both, leading to a dualism between those who support the Bolognese driver and those who only have eyes for the Prancing Horse. Antonelli, for his part, does not seem to suffer from this situation, as he recounted during the exclusive interview granted to FormulaPassion.it.
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Coexistence with Ferrari
“Ferrari is gigantic, it is a brand that is the history of Formula 1”, Antonelli’s comment when asked about the topic. “I understand it, but I am happy with the support I have in Italy. It is growing more and more, it is nice to see and to experience. I can’t wait to race at Monza, because I believe it will be a really special weekend. In my opinion, there will be a wonderful atmosphere, because it is a weekend full of passion”.
Right at Monza, however, the Italian could face a grid penalty for using a new power unit, as recently anticipated by Toto Wolff. If this is not the case, Kimi could fight with the Ferraris in front of the home crowd, arousing some curiosity about what the atmosphere in the stands will be like. So far, however, the Italian derby has not led to unpleasant episodes, with Antonelli having said on other occasions that he has not received attacks on social media as happened with Verstappen’s supporters after the 2025 Qatar GP.
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Fighting on two fronts
This year Antonelli is the protagonist of a double world fight, the internal one with his teammate and the external one with the Ferraris. Kimi, however, would not sign to have only George Russell as a rival: “If you found yourself competing only against your teammate, it would be a bit different. It would mean that the team is so dominant that even if you don’t beat him you still finish second and have no problems. Instead, when there are more teams fighting, it is more beautiful. It is one more challenge, but at the same time you have less margin for error, because you know that if you make a small mistake in qualifying, instead of starting second you might start fourth, because depending on the weekend the Ferraris, McLarens or Red Bulls can get in the way”, Kimi concludes.
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