“To President Mattarella, with great admiration,” signed Kimi Antonelli.
The new Formula 1 world champion is in the middle of a whirlwind of meetings, events and celebrations for the world title he won two weeks ago at the Mexico Grand Prix, with which he ended a title drought for an Italian driver to win the world championship dating back to 1953.
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Antonelli, together with his parents Marco and Veronica and his sister Maggie, was received on Friday by the president of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
The meeting took place at the Quirinale in Rome, with Antonelli giving the president one of his official helmets with a dedication written on the visor.
Il Presidente Sergio Mattarella con Kimi Antonelli, Campione del mondo di Formula 1
Il Presidente Sergio Mattarella con Kimi Antonelli, Campione del mondo di Formula 1
Antonelli spoke with the highest office of the Italian state, explaining to him the sensations of wearing a helmet during a race, but also what driving a Formula 1 single-seater entails from a physical point of view.
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“You lose roughly a couple of kilograms,” he said. “We have the fireproof suit, which is also hot. We train to be as ready as we can and to be able to withstand the heat we experience when we drive. But then after the session you jump into a tub of cold water…”
The president then asked: “But was it like that in Formula 2 as well? And in karts?”
“In karts a little less so,” Antonelli replied. “You are much more out in the open. In a single-seater you are enclosed. But in F2 the races last a little less and are less physical. In Formula 1 the race lasts an average of an hour and a half. But will you come and see some races next year? Maybe at Monza? It would be very nice to have you with us.”
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Il casco donato da Andrea Kimi Antonelli al Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella
Il casco donato da Andrea Kimi Antonelli al Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella
Mattarella, with a smile, replied: “I really hope so. Now Formula 1 attracts me a lot! The last time was several years ago. It is always complicated, because my movements are complex… But this new situation [referring to Antonelli’s competitiveness] greatly encourages me.”
The meeting with the president was only the latest of Antonelli’s engagements. A few hours earlier, Antonelli had attended the match between the Italian men’s national football team and the French side, which Italy won 3-1, while the previous day he had stopped in San Marino – where he currently lives – to celebrate the world title.
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Antonelli will fly back to the United States, this time to Nevada, to contest the third-to-last round of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Las Vegas.
Il Presidente Sergio Mattarella con Kimi Antonelli, Campione del mondo di Formula 1
Il Presidente Sergio Mattarella con Kimi Antonelli, Campione del mondo di Formula 1
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