- Windsor says Antonelli could consider Ferrari down the line.
- Tifosi’s pressure will serve no good to the young Italian, no matter which team he remains in.
- Ferrari rejected Antonelli over age issues in past.
It’s been just two months since the F1 season began, and Kimi Antonelli has already become the history boy, who is collecting back-to-back milestones like infinity stones.
It all started at the Chinese Grand Prix, when he became the youngest pole-sitter and second youngest driver to win a maiden race after Max Verstappen. As the season heads forward, he continues to deliver impressive results, upping people’s hope for a potential champion’s title win.
Since the very beginning, Toto Wolff had the utmost trust in Antonelli’s potential and talent, which was evident, given that, despite the objections from many people, he still gave the young Italian the opportunity to drive in F1. And now see, the same boy, who is currently in his second year of F1, is leading a championship, successfully snatching the earlier lead from his experienced teammate, George Russell.
Tifosi is clearly happy with Antonelli, so much so that they would be more than eager to see him represent the country in Ferrari, too. Peter Windsor very much thinks that a move to Ferrari in future could be possible, if an offer is presented to Antonelli.
Windsor says Antonelli could move to Ferrari in future
During a livestream on YouTube, Windsor offered a very interesting view on Antonelli’s future in F1. He claimed that Antonelli will be with the Silver Arrows if he continues to build on his progress. However, he would not even be able to say no down the line when Ferrari comes up to him and offers a seat.
He elaborated, “Being an Italian, if he gets the big offer from Ferrari at some point, let’s say, two years down the road, and he’s won a world championship at Mercedes, it’s going to be difficult for him to say no to it, isn’t he?” He believes that it would be impressive to see an Italian hopping into a Ferrari to win a championship again, but this time, in red.
While the team switch talks are very fancy, they also bring an unparalleled level of pressure into the life of someone who drives for Ferrari. Now, one may argue that every driver faces pressure, and that is true, but the passionate Italian fanbase that shows up in huge numbers at every home race has longed and yearned for Ferrari’s return to the top by winning both the WDC and WCC.
If at all he moves to the Italian team or remains in Mercedes, such expectations could build unnecessary pressure anyway and could ultimately impact what he delivers at some point. Moreover, such high hopes serve no good purpose and should be toned down a bit, as it’s Formula 1 and anything can happen in the blink of an eye.
Ferrari rejected Antonelli in the past
Antonelli could have been in red if Ferrari hadn’t rejected him. Massimo Rivola, who led the Ferrari academy at the time, recognised Antonelli and believed that he could be the special one for the team.
However, his hopes were crushed by Maurizio Arrivabene, who was the team principal at the time. Antonelli wasn’t taken into the team as they had concerns over his age, which is fair enough, as many people raised the same concerns when he was hired by Wolff.
Now that Antonelli has continued to prove that he has what it takes to be a brilliant driver, it remains to be seen if Ferrari returns to him. Despite Antonelli now being in a separate team, Wolff continues to worry about the Tifosi’s pressure as championship talks build.
