Italian newspaper's brutal Ferrari swipe as Kimi Antonelli crowned F1 champion
Italian daily sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport took a swipe at Ferrari after Kimi Antonelli's F1 title triumph.
One of Italy’s leading daily sports newspapers has taken a brutal swipe at Ferrari as Andrea Kimi Antonelli won his maiden Formula 1 world championship.
Antonelli clinched his first F1 world title with four races to spare with a third-place finish behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Not only did the result see 20-year-old Antonelli crowned F1’s youngest-ever world champion, he became the first Italian driver to win the title in 73 years, since Alberto Ascari secured back-to-back championships in 1952 and 1953.
Antonelli’s triumph unsurprisingly made the headlines in Italy, but La Gazzetta dello Sport couldn’t resist a scathing jab at Ferrari’s performance.
“Kimi Antonelli is a Formula 1 world champion. Thanks to his talent, the car and the fact that he isn’t racing for Ferrari,” read the front page of Monday’s edition.
A first-lap squabble between Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc blew Ferrari’s hopes of winning Sunday’s race, and potentially claiming a one-two finish.
Ferrari has come under fire for missing several chances to win races this season, due to poor execution, a lack of decision-making, or clashes between its drivers.
Antonelli’s father, Marco, previously claimed Ferrari missed the opportunity to sign his son before he joined Mercedes.
According to Marco, former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene turned down the chance.
Antonelli instead signed with Mercedes at the age of 11 and was handed his F1 debut in 2025 as a replacement for Hamilton when the seven-time world champion made the blockbuster switch to Ferrari.
“We did it,” Antonelli said after securing the world title in Mexico. “You know, without them, I wouldn’t be here – without Mercedes, without my family. So I’m very grateful for this moment, and it’s one that will live forever. I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened.
“It’s been an incredible season, and to share this podium with Max and Lewis is truly incredible. And yeah, looking forward to some more battles in the future.
“This weekend I did feel a bit more tense, but I’m just so happy, and happy that we got it done, and now we can enjoy the rest of the season.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
