“Kimi Antonelli? Someone like him comes along once every twenty years,” says former world champion Andretti

“We in Italy are proud to have someone like Antonelli who will represent Formula 1 as the new world champion. He’s the sort of driver who comes along once every twenty years.” With these words, the 1978 Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti describes, in Il Foglio’s podcast “Fuoricampo. Parole di sport", hosted by Umberto Zapelloni, the victory of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Mexico City, after the Italian driver finished third, thereby becoming the youngest world champion in the history of the competition.

Last week, Andretti met Kimi Antonelli in Austin. It was a handover between Ascari – you, as the last Italian-speaking world champion – and him. What did you think of him? “I wasn’t expecting it, but it didn’t surprise me because he’s a likeable bloke, and he’s admired and respected by everyone. He’s certainly something special. He’ll be a hugely popular figure in the pits; he’s respected by champions – that’s something you can’t buy.”