Even leading the 2026 Formula 1 championship, Kimi Antonelli still doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves among Italian fans. This is the assessment of Guenther Steiner, former Haas boss, who believes that Italy’s strong connection with Ferrari ends up overshadowing the young Mercedes driver’s performance.
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The statements were made to the podcast The Red Flags after Antonelli’s sixth victory of the season, achieved at Spa-Francorchamps: “I spoke to some Italian journalists in Spa about this, because I have the same impression – he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, in a way,” Steiner argued.
The former boss compared the 19-year-old driver’s situation to that of tennis player Jannik Sinner. “In Italy, you now have two very good athletes,” Steiner observed. “Jannik Sinner in tennis, who is simply shooting [ahead], and you also have Kimi Antonelli. But Kimi doesn’t get the same credit as Jannik Sinner, and I find that strange, to say the least.”
“This has to do with Ferrari being seen as the Italian team, the national team. More people still need to get used to the fact that there is an Italian F1 driver, who is truly world-class, and not just a team, because we haven’t had one for a very, very long time.”
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Steiner believes, however, that fans’ perception should change: “He deserves more, and I think there’s a growing awareness now that this guy is really special,” he added. “We need to pay more attention to him and maybe put Ferrari aside a bit.”
When asked if it would be necessary to choose between supporting Antonelli or Ferrari, Steiner replied: “Maybe just don’t put all your eggs in one basket: Ferrari. There’s someone out there you can root for. He deserves more than he’s currently getting in Italy.”
Antonelli is one of the big surprises of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Italian took the championship lead after winning the Chinese and Japanese GPs and then also triumphed in Miami, Canada, Monaco, and Belgium. He leads the World Championship with 204 points, 45 ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
