A door left open, and a debt to pay
The question follows every fast Italian driver around eventually. Kimi Antonelli got it today, and he did not slam the door.
Speaking to Automoto Italy, the 20-year-old said he “doesn’t rule out” a Ferrari move at some stage of his career. He also made it plain that nothing about his current situation makes him want to leave.
“Now I’m fine where I am,” Antonelli said. “I am very happy to be at Mercedes, also because I feel I owe them a debt for all the opportunities they have given me. They were the ones who believed in me when I was only 12 years old. They have accompanied me on this path of growth, and I hope to reap many successes with them in the future.”
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A title that would rewrite the record book
The timing of the question says plenty about where his season sits. Antonelli leads team-mate George Russell by 81 points, with eight grand prix wins to Russell’s two. Finish the job and he becomes the youngest champion in the sport’s history, beating Sebastian Vettel’s mark by more than three years.
He would also be the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. That sort of gap turns a driver into a national story before he has won anything at all, which is precisely why the Ferrari talk refuses to die. The last Italian to race full time for the Scuderia was Michele Alboreto in 1985. Ivan Capelli, Nicola Larini, Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella have filled in since, none of them for long.
Monza still gives him goosebumps
His answer makes more sense after what happened at the Italian Grand Prix. Antonelli won at Monza from 19th on the grid, something no driver had managed since Bill Vukovich at the 1954 Indy 500. Only John Watson has come from further back, from 22nd at Long Beach in 1983. No Italian had won their home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
“The charge of the fans during the GP was incredible,” he said. “The podium in Monza is the most beautiful of the year, and hearing everyone sing the anthem in unison and shout my name gave me goosebumps.”
Mercedes gave him the car that did that. Ferrari, for now, gets a maybe.
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