Valentino Rossi has thrown his support behind Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 Formula 1 title fight, describing the Mercedes championship leader as a “great talent” whose rise is “very special” for Italy. The nine-time motorcycle world champion explained that he follows individual drivers more closely than teams, meaning Ferrari’s traditional status does not prevent him from supporting the 19-year-old Italian.
The results and records achieved by Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the first half of the 2026 championship have won over Formula 1 fans around the world. The young Mercedes driver has also become a source of hope for Italian supporters while earning praise from major motorsport figures such as Valentino Rossi.
The Kimi Antonelli effect reaches Valentino Rossi
Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship after the opening half of the season. His performances have captured the imagination of Italian fans, but the Bologna-born driver’s speed and talent have also impressed Rossi, one of the country’s most celebrated sporting figures.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports F1, the man widely known as “The Doctor” explained why Kimi Antonelli can excite not only Italy’s Formula 1 audience but also the famous number 46 himself.
Valentino Rossi explains Ferrari’s unique status in Italy
“You can imagine in Italy, with Ferrari, it is like a religion, you know,” Valentino Rossi said. “For sure all the Italians are happy when Ferrari win. But I am more a driver fan.”
Ferrari has traditionally been the main focus of Italian interest in Formula 1, particularly during the long period without a leading Italian driver. Kimi Antonelli’s breakthrough has created a different point of reference, with the Antonelli effect spreading across Italian motorsport during his championship-leading campaign.
Why Valentino Rossi is supporting Kimi Antonelli
Valentino Rossi stressed that his interest in Formula 1 is driven primarily by the personalities and abilities of the drivers rather than the teams they represent.
“I follow Lando [Norris], I follow Lewis [Hamilton], I follow the driver,” Valentino Rossi continued. “You know, if you drive for McLaren or for Ferrari, for me it is not a big difference.”
That approach has led Valentino Rossi to support Kimi Antonelli despite the Mercedes driver competing against Ferrari for both world championships.
“So, I am with Kimi now,” Valentino Rossi said. “He is a great talent, he has a lot of speed and, in Italy, we never had a Formula 1 driver who can win the championship in the last 70 years, so this is very special.”
Kimi Antonelli could end Italy’s long F1 title wait
Valentino Rossi won nine motorcycle world championships and claimed the final title of his career in 2009. He remained Italy’s most recent premier-class world champion until Francesco Bagnaia secured consecutive MotoGP crowns in 2022 and 2023.
Formula 1’s record books, meanwhile, have not included an Italian world champion since 1953. Alberto Ascari won his second and final Drivers’ Championship that year, and no Italian driver has managed to repeat his achievement since.
Kimi Antonelli has already enjoyed several landmark moments during the 2026 season. His first Formula 1 victory arrived at the Chinese Grand Prix, where the Italian national anthem was played for an Italian race winner for the first time since the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Giancarlo Fisichella was the driver who stood on the top step of the podium on that occasion. Twenty years later, Kimi Antonelli has restored an Italian presence at the front of Formula 1 and given Valentino Rossi reason to believe the country’s long wait for another world champion could finally be approaching its end.
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