Kimi Antonelli can count on the support of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. The Italian motorcycle hero stated in a new interview that he ‘of course’ cheers for the young Mercedes driver, who is convincingly leading the F1 championship after the first half of the season. Rossi acknowledges that what the 19-year-old Antonelli has already shown is ‘really special.’ In eleven Grands Prix, he crossed the finish line first six times and stood on the podium three more times.
Valentino Rossi maintains close ties with Antonelli. Last year, he was already a guest in the Mercedes garage during the Emilia-Romagna GP to encourage the young Italian. Later, they visited the MotoGP race in San Marino together. Earlier this year, the young F1 driver also spent the Easter weekend at the ranch of the Italian motorcycle hero. While Antonelli struggled with the pressure of Formula 1 last year – especially during the European season – he has emerged this season as the main title contender. Rossi has also noticed this.
Valentino Rossi cheers for Kimi Antonelli
“Ferrari is a religion in Italy, as you can imagine,” he said to Sky Sports. “And of course, as Italians, we are happy when Ferrari wins. But I have always been more a fan of the drivers. I follow what Lando Norris does, what Lewis Hamilton does; I am interested in the drivers. So it doesn’t really matter to me which team someone drives for, whether it’s McLaren or Ferrari. Of course, I am now cheering for Kimi Antonelli,” he added.
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“He is an enormous talent, incredibly fast, and in Italy, we haven’t had a driver win the title in the past seventy years,” he looked ahead to a possible world title for the Italian. “So yes, he is really special.”
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