Kimi Antonelli is experiencing the best moment of his still young Formula 1 career, but success has also brought changes off the track. The championship leader before the Hungarian GP, the Italian stated that growing popularity has its price and revealed that, at times, he would prefer not to be recognized in public.
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At nineteen years old, Antonelli arrives at the Budapest stage with a significant advantage in the standings, the result of a season marked by six victories in the first ten races. His performance has also placed him in the spotlight in his home country, where he has received constant demonstrations of support from fans.
The Mercedes driver stated that he appreciates the affection of the Italians but recognizes that fame requires adaptation: “It’s great to see the support when I go back home. As Italians, we are quite emotional and show our feelings a lot, so seeing all this enthusiasm is something very special,” he said.
At the same time, Antonelli highlighted that it is necessary to manage the expectations created around his name: “There are times when you would prefer not to be recognized, like when you go out to dinner or do certain things. But that is also part of being an athlete,” he said.
According to the championship leader, learning to deal with this scenario has been important in his journey: “As long as you can embrace these moments, they can be very enjoyable. Of course, there are occasions when I would like to go unnoticed, but I know that’s part of it and I’m happy with that,” he commented.
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In addition to the F1 title fight, Antonelli recently had a remarkable experience outside of motorsport. Shortly after the British GP, where he lost the chance to win after damage to his car, he visited Wimbledon for the first time and had the opportunity to talk with Roger Federer.
During the meeting, the two talked about tennis, career, and the challenges of competing at a high level. The Italian revealed that he received valuable advice from the Swiss for the rest of the season: “He told me to focus on one race at a time, concentrate only on what I can control, and manage emotions, especially those that can lead to mistakes,” he added.
Antonelli also made a point of praising the former tennis player’s demeanor: “It was an incredible experience. Besides being an extraordinary athlete, he is a fantastic person, very humble and open. It was great to talk about racing, about the time he played, and about life in general,” concluded the young Italian driver.
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