Kimi Antonelli to Ferrari? Insider gives his take on the possibility of it happening

F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali publicized his idea of seeing Kimi Antonelli race for Ferrari in the near future. He stated that Antonelli was an ideal role model for youth, and an Italian driver racing for the Maranello-based team would be a good scenario for the sport.

Antonelli, the 18-year-old rookie racing driver, made waves when he was signed as Lewis Hamilton's replacement by Mercedes. Despite his lack of experience, Toto Wolff rated his potential and talent highly enough to award him the prized seat.

The rookie lived up to the hype in the 2025 season, as he scored points in Australia, China, and Japan. With 30 points, he is ranked P6 in Drivers' championships. However, while the young sensation is likely to stay at Mercedes, Stefano Domenicali has suggested a strange destination for him.

Domenicali believed that if Antonelli, an Italian driver, ended up racing for the Italian team Ferrari in the future, the pairing would be iconic. Talking to La Politica nel pallone, he said:

"Kimi Antonelli in Ferrari? An Italian driver with an Italian car. We need a driver who, especially in today's world, represents a reference figure for the youth world. So it would be really nice, but I think Toto Wolff doesn't agree at the moment."

Not only that, the F1 President rated Antonelli's values highly and labelled him an ideal role model for youth. Stefano added:

"We have to make him grow; he is an extraordinary boy, with values that I like a lot. Seeing him enter the paddock with his family and little sister hand in hand gives us a romantic dimension of sport, and then when he pulls down his visor, he goes fast. Before equating him to some champion, I think it is right to wait, but the certainty is that he will become a protagonist of our world."

Interestingly, Kimi Antonelli's contract with Mercedes will expire at the end of the 2025 season, and Wolff has yet to commit to an extension.

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Kimi Antonelli breaks Max Verstappen's record

Kimi Antonelli at F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Source: Getty

18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix, surpassing the record previously set by four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver decided to stay out between laps 21 and 31 of the Japanese GP and moved up in the order.

Antonelli finished the race in P6 and grabbed crucial points for his team. Not only that, he stated that he was getting comfortable with the new car and might play around with experiments in the future. Talking to Racingnews365, he said:

"I am really looking forward to exploring even more in the next few weekends, because now I have the feeling that I can play with the car, which is something I couldn't really do in the previous weekends because I was definitely tense while driving. I'm getting more experience with the tires and the car itself, so I am able to feel it more."

That being said, amongst the rookies, Kimi Antonelli has impressed the most this 2025 F1 season as he gets used to the world of F1.