From World Cup heartbreak to F1 dominance: Italy’s sporting turnaround since 2014. Italy’s sporting landscape has transformed over the last 12 years.

The dramatic shift in Italian sports

How much can the world change in just 12 years? A tremendous amount, and the state of sports in Italy perfectly illustrates this transformation. In the span of just a few days, Italian sports fans witnessed two events that, barely more than a decade ago, would have been unimaginable: on one side, the Italian national football team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time; on the other, a young Italian Formula 1 driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, claimed his second consecutive Grand Prix victory and now leads the championship at just 19 years old.

Football and racing: a national passion

Football and motorsport have always been among the greatest passions of Italians. For decades, the Italian national team was among the most decorated and competitive teams in the world, while Ferrari carried the banner for Italy in the world of motorsport, widely regarded by fans as the “national team” of racing. Even the most recent successes are not far in memory: the Azzurri won their last World Cup in 2006, while Ferrari claimed its last championship titles in 2007 and 2008. Today, however, both in Coverciano and Maranello, trophy cabinets are harder to fill. Yet surprisingly, Italy has rediscovered its ability to “produce” (an imperfect verb for people, but illustrative) world-class driving talent.

From zero to Kimi

In 2014, the year of Italy’s last appearance in the World Cup finals, the country had no driver representing it in the F1 Circus, and it seemed almost impossible to imagine having an Italian leading a Formula 1 team. Even though Davide Valsecchi had won the GP2 title in 2012 (the current Formula 2), the notion of an Italian heading the F1 Drivers’ Championship would have seemed laughable to many.

Italy’s sporting renaissance

Twelve years later, the situation has completely flipped: Italy now struggles to qualify for the World Cup while a 19-year-old F1 driver leads the championship. Over these 12 years, Italy has seen numerous sports in which it previously lagged transform into sources of national pride, and it is especially gratifying to see Formula 1 included in this list. Beyond Antonelli’s exceptional talent, another young driver, Leonardo Fornaroli, after winning the F3 and F2 titles, is eagerly awaiting his chance on the McLaren team. Many other promising talents are also making their way through the junior categories.

Italy’s future in motorsport

Italy may no longer be, and perhaps never again will be, a country of elite footballers, but it could return to being a nation of great drivers—at least in motorsport, a field where it has historically excelled. With young talents like Kimi Antonelli and Leonardo Fornaroli, the country has a real opportunity to establish itself once more as a global leader behind the wheel.

The rise of Italian talent in Formula 1 shows the cyclical nature of sporting excellence. While the national football team navigates a difficult rebuilding phase, the motorsport sector is thriving, proving that Italy’s competitive spirit remains as strong as ever. Whether it’s Antonelli leading the charge in 2026 or the next generation of drivers following in his wheel tracks, the future of Italian racing looks brighter than it has in decades.