Kimi Antonelli, speaking with Fiorello on La Pennicanza, revealed behind-the-scenes moments from the Chinese Grand Prix, which gave him his first Formula 1 victory, and shared a charming anecdote from his early days in the sport.
Antonelli is living some of the most exciting days of his life, at least in sporting terms. Triumphant upon returning to Italy, he was also a guest on Fiorello’s radio program La Pennicanza, where the atmosphere was light and playful, allowing him to chat about unforgettable moments: from praise received from Lewis Hamilton and Jannik Sinner from Rome to Bologna, to a lock-up that gave him quite a scare in the final laps of the Chinese GP.
Antonelli’s first time in F1
He appeared in his childhood bedroom, holding the trophy he won in Shanghai, and opened by talking about his recent high school graduation last summer. Then he confirmed a story that seemed almost legendary but is completely true. Kimi revealed that the first time he attended a Formula 1 Grand Prix, he was literally hidden in a stack of tyres: “I was so small I could fit inside. It was my first Formula 1 race. They put me in a tyre stack because I was too small to be in the pit lane. My dad said, ‘Come on, I’ll hide you in the tyres,’ and that’s how I got in.”
“I went off track with three laps to go”
He then talked about the tense moments in every Grand Prix. Usually, it’s the start, but the final laps in China were particularly tough: “The moment of greatest tension is always the start, but the last laps seem never-ending. I have to admit that with three laps to go, I went off track. I went wide on my own and it scared me. The final laps feel like the longest in the world, and you get the feeling that someone is stretching the race.”
Praise from Hamilton: “He was thrilled for me”
Antonelli also spoke about stepping onto the podium and hearing Kimi Raikkonen’s name called: “I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited; I couldn’t wait to get on the podium and hear Kimi Raikkonen. But Kimi Raikkonen?” He also highlighted Lewis Hamilton, who praised him throughout the weekend: “Lewis was very kind, really happy for me; everyone congratulated me. But Lewis was the nicest of all.”
And Sinner: “He’s a Formula 1 fan too”
Finally, he joked about Jannik Sinner, a keen F1 fan, while mentioning his own tennis practice: “Let’s not talk about my backhand, the forehand is good. I heard Jannik trains in go-karting. We’ll see if he fits, because he’s tall. Maybe one day I’ll take him in a two-seater Formula 1 car.”
Kimi Antonelli’s journey from a hidden child in a tire stack to a Grand Prix winner is the kind of story that reminds us why we love this sport. His blend of raw honesty about his mistakes and his humble approach to success suggests that this first victory in China is merely the opening chapter of a very long book. As the F1 circus heads to Japan, the focus remains on the young man from Bologna who has finally brought the Italian flag back to the top step of the podium.
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