Valentino Rossi has made his choice in Formula 1’s 2026 title battle: despite Ferrari’s enormous cultural importance in Italy, the motorcycle racing legend is supporting Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Rossi praised the Mercedes driver’s extraordinary talent and the significance of seeing an Italian fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s remarkable second season has placed him at the centre of Italian motorsport, with the 19-year-old leading the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship at the summer break. For Valentino Rossi, however, his support is also consistent with the way he has always followed Formula 1: he is more interested in individual drivers than the teams they represent.
Valentino Rossi backs Kimi Antonelli rather than Ferrari
“Ferrari is like a religion in Italy, as you can imagine,” Valentino Rossi explained. “And of course Italians are happy when Ferrari wins. But I am more of a driver fan: I follow what Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton do and I am mainly interested in their performances. So for me, it does not particularly matter whether a driver races for McLaren or Ferrari.”
That approach has now led Valentino Rossi firmly towards Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the Mercedes youngster continues his championship challenge.
“Obviously, I am supporting Kimi Antonelli now. He is an extraordinary talent, incredibly fast. In Italy, we have not had a driver capable of winning the World Championship for the last 70 years, so his journey is really special.”
Kimi Antonelli carries Italy’s hopes of ending a historic drought
The scale of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s opportunity explains why his rise has generated such enthusiasm in Italy. The country has not produced a Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion since Alberto Ascari claimed his second consecutive crown in 1953.
Antonelli’s success has therefore created a different kind of excitement alongside Italy’s traditional passion for Ferrari. The wider Kimi Antonelli effect across Italian motorsport has already been visible during the 2026 season as his results have attracted growing attention far beyond Formula 1’s usual audience.
For Valentino Rossi, that national significance does not diminish Ferrari’s importance. Instead, it reflects his preference for following drivers such as Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and now Andrea Kimi Antonelli regardless of which team they represent.
With Antonelli fighting at the front of the championship in only his second Formula 1 season, Italy has the possibility of celebrating something it has waited more than seven decades to see again: one of its own drivers becoming Formula 1 world champion.
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