After Imola qualifying setback, Italy’s national football team surprises Kimi Antonelli with a gift. Kimi Antonelli receives a jersey from the Italian national football team.

It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a weekend for Kimi Antonelli, who also receives support from footballers at Imola.

Kimi Antonelli arrived in Imola already in celebration mode on Thursday. His happiness was twofold: the excitement of racing his first home F1 weekend, and the joy of Bologna’s victory in the Coppa Italia. A few days later, the young Bolognese driver received a gift from Italian footballers.

On Wednesday evening, the decisive Coppa Italia match took place, where Milan and Bologna faced off. Bologna secured the victory, much to the delight of Kimi Antonelli. After the match, the driver celebrated in the streets of the city, where he was spotted by fans.

Two days later, on Friday, the winning team visited the paddock and presented Kimi Antonelli with a team jersey featuring his name and number. On Sunday, the Italian national football team did the same, gifting him an Azzurri jersey with the number 12.

A weekend of two sides for Kimi
These moments have been welcome breaks and distractions for Kimi, who has appeared particularly challenged this weekend. In qualifying, he wasn’t able to match his teammate’s pace and was knocked out in Q2 alongside both Ferrari drivers.

Are all these off-track activities in the paddock draining energy that should be saved for the track? Racing in front of his home crowd certainly brings a different kind of pressure to the occasion. In fact, even Toto Wolff had advised the young Bolognese driver before the weekend to conserve his energy.