In two years, Kimi has made people fall in love with Formula 1

It took him just two years to conquer Formula 1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli didn’t take long to win over the world of motor racing. First with his smile, then with his victories. It’s a shame that at Monza, in his home Grand Prix, he’ll have to start from the back of the grid due to the penalty Mercedes will incur for fitting him with a brand-new engine. More reliable, but not more powerful. He smiled at this too, because he knows it’s a fair price to pay when you consider the World Championship, which he leads by 59 points over Russell and Hamilton. “It’s not ideal to receive a penalty at your home Grand Prix, especially one as significant as this. But as a team, we’re focused on the championship, and this is certainly one of the best circuits on which to do so. It’s better to change everything now to avoid problems in the future,” he said. The decision will allow him to feel less pressure in a race where the pressure would otherwise have been enormous, given that, for the first time, Monza was set to host a derby against Ferrari. It is also a favour to the fans, who will now be able to cheer on Leclerc and Hamilton with peace of mind on Sunday, and then Kimi in the fight for the World Championship.

The polls, including the one in La Gazzetta, suggest that fans still favour Leclerc, but Kimi is aware of this and remains untroubled. He has time and the championship standings on his side. Moreover, he has already conquered Formula 1. Max Verstappen is rooting for him. “I don’t think he needs my advice: he just needs to be himself and carry on doing what he’s doing, because he’s brilliant. He’s under a lot of pressure and the best thing the media can do is leave him alone and let him get on with his work in peace. And if he found himself in a position to fight for the title, I’d tell him not to be afraid of anyone: just focus on himself, score points every weekend without making mistakes. So far, he’s shown he’s got great control.” Leclerc also says that if neither he nor Hamilton were to win, he’d love to see this youngster take the title – a young man who would break every record for precocious talent.

Apart from George Russell, his rival team-mate, everyone is behind him. On the other hand, Kimi’s impact on Formula 1 is impressive. “Today, the average age has dropped from 57 to 34 or thereabouts. We’re in a situation where the arrival of a driver like Kimi has brought us not only sporting excitement on the track – because he’s proved himself to be a truly very strong driver – but has also attracted a wave of people who didn’t follow Formula 1 before, thanks to him.” Why he’s so popular is easily explained: “He’s a lad who tackles this huge responsibility of leading the World Championship with the carefree attitude typical of all young people. I hope he retains this naturalness and freshness forever; they’re qualities that attract people, because young people his age see themselves in him. He’s a driving force. He’s a serious professional, yet he retains that cheerfulness typical of his age; he doesn’t yet carry the weight of it, so I hope he never does – that he never feels caged in by having to be the professional driver who must behave in a certain way. There’s something typically Italian about this: the ability to always have a smile on his face, with an extraordinary cheerfulness that’s typical of our way of life.” He passes with flying colours. Even when he gets dozens of cakes smeared across his face by his mechanics, who wanted to celebrate his 20th birthday in this way. “I had to spend a quarter of an hour in the shower to wash off the cream…”, he jokes, whilst Hamilton strikes a pose with his new F40 and a thick coat that looks warm just to look at. Different generations.

Kimi is the star of Italian Formula 1, which before him was represented solely by Ferrari. Today, Italy is once again at the heart of Formula 1, and it is no coincidence that next February, Milan will host the season-opening event featuring all the teams. From 18 to 20 February, the event will be hosted between the Fiera and the new Santa Giulia building. It will be almost a week of speed, something that has been missing since Design Week and Fashion Week. And to think that until a few years ago, the Italian Grand Prix was under threat: “I believe there is now a shared realisation that this sport is not merely a sporting event; it is something that generates interest, and I must say that, more than ever before, I see an interest that goes beyond the sporting sphere from everyone, starting with the new president of the Automobile Club, Geronimo La Russa. Formula 1 is recognised as a new sporting platform with a broader scope, and our country has returned to the forefront.”

Credit goes to Ferrari, to Kimi, and to those who invest, such as the many Italian sponsors who have embraced the championship. We supply the tyres, the brakes and even the pasta. And perhaps the championship will conclude right here in Italy, at Imola, which is ready to host the final round in December if the winds of war do not cease to blow in the Middle East. “For now, the calendar is confirmed with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” says Domenicali, knowing full well he is lying. It’s far too dangerous to take a US-based championship to those parts. No one is willing to take that risk. “We’ll make a final decision in mid-September.” In the meantime, it is already official that next year Monza will also host the Sprint race, the one that appeals to young people. “There’ll be more of them, but they’ll still account for less than half the number of the full-length races.” In the meantime, we can enjoy a weekend that has already seen Formula 1 take over Milan, where sponsors have filled the city with their installations. It really is Formula Italia.