Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli is preparing for his second Italian Grand Prix as a Formula 1 driver next weekend.
Compared to last year, the circumstances are very different. In 2025, Antonelli entered the race seventh in the championship with just 64 points to his name.
This time, he arrives at Monza on course to become the youngest-ever F1 world champion thanks to his 59-point lead over teammate George Russell and Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
Kimi Antonelli has become a bigger ‘hero’ than Ferrari drivers before Italian Grand Prix
Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s Dutch GP coverage, Nico Rosberg predicted that the famous Tifosi will be cheering for Antonelli over Ferrari this year, which would be a seismic shift.
Antonelli is set to start at the back of the grid as he takes a penalty for exceeding the permitted power unit allocation, but he should still have the speed to fight for a strong points finish.
Charles Leclerc’s Monza wins in 2019 and 2024 sparked some of the most memorable scenes in recent F1 history, but now Antonelli has become a ‘national hero’.
“Kimi Antonelli has already become such a national hero there that, from what I hear – because I speak Italian – I think it would mean more to the Tifosi if their young 19-year-old [now 20-year-old] national hero would win,” Rosberg said.