Antonelli celebrates with tears in his eyes: I’ll remember this day forever
X/F1
Formula 1 has crowned its 36th world champion and written one of its greatest stories. Kimi Antonelli is world champion! But that is not all: Mexico also saw him become the youngest champion of all time and the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari. Yet no numbers or statistics can capture the emotions we witnessed at the end of the race.
Kimi burst into tears as soon as he crossed the line. He thanked his team and his family. Formula 1 staged a wonderful ceremony, and among the first to congratulate him were his father Marco, mother Veronica and his beloved younger sister Maggie. They were all there, embracing one another in front of the watching world.
Making it all the more special was the fact that Kimi is a thoroughly deserving champion. He did not “just” have the best car: he continued to deliver outstanding performances even after the field had become more evenly matched. He has every right to savour this moment, because he has absolutely earned it.
“Today I will remember forever,” said Antonelli, his voice full of emotion. “Thank you so much to my team, my family, my friends, and all of you guys that support me and the sport, and I’m just so grateful, and thank you so much.”
Shortly after the podium ceremony, he admitted that what he had just achieved was beginning to sink in. “Yeah, yeah, it’s starting to get real, and I’m gonna enjoy every bit,” said a delighted Antonelli.
He has had an incredible season. Mercedes were very strong from the opening weekend. Although their dominance faded as the season progressed, the driver of car number 12 remained incredibly consistent and kept scoring heavily. Indeed, he underlined that in Mexico, finishing third in a race where, realistically, he could not have extracted much more.
Although Kimi had a championship-winning car and Mercedes were favourites heading into the season, his more experienced team-mate George Russell was considered the stronger contender, particularly after Antonelli’s unremarkable rookie campaign. But the Italian showed very early in the season that he was a force to be reckoned with. “Yeah, I mean, very early on. You know, we had such a strong car, and we were very consistent and winning the performance, and yeah, I thought that we could have had a shot this year, and I’m really happy that we managed to clinch it all,” said the Italian driver.
“I mean, I’m gonna go all out, right? I’m gonna go all out with my family, friends, the team, and we’re just gonna enjoy all the way because this is a very special moment, one that we will remember forever,” said a delighted Antonelli.