The legendary No. 1 issues a warning to Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari
From one world champion to another, even though a full forty-four years have passed between these two achievements. The great Dino Zoff praises Kimi Antonelli’s talent, highlighting his extraordinary maturity despite being only twenty years old. The former great Italian national team goalkeeper, a World Cup champion in Spain ’82 and a huge Formula 1 fan, sees rare qualities in the young driver from Emilia and envisions a future for him at Ferrari.
“However, it’s written in the stars that one day Kimi will wear red. But on one very specific condition: that Ferrari is able to give him a competitive car; otherwise, it’s just not worth it,” declared the legendary 84-year-old in an exclusive interview with Quotidiano Nazionale.
The comparison with Ferrari’s history is not new. A few days ago, Piero Ferrari, also writing in *Quotidiano Nazionale*, had compared Antonelli to Niki Lauda: “The comparison holds up because Kimi, like Niki in his early days at Ferrari, immediately displayed a maturity that was downright surprising.” The son of “Il Drake” admitted that he would have been happier if the World Championship had been won by Leclerc or Hamilton, but said he was pleased that the one to ascend to the throne of motorsports is “a son of our land, the land of engines.” Lauda won two titles with Maranello, in 1975 and 1977, securing 15 victories between 1974 and 1977.
The title was clinched in Mexico City, at the end of a season dominated by the Bologna-born driver in his Mercedes. His victory in Austin—his ninth of the season—came after securing pole position and controlling the race with overwhelming superiority in speed and tire management. Toto Wolff, the team principal who launched his career, went so far as to say that “I think Kimi outperformed the car,” arguing that even Niki Lauda “would have tipped his hat to him.”
The champion has already made it known that he won’t use the number 1 in 2027: Antonelli will remain loyal to 12, the number of Ayrton Senna, his lifelong idol. “I have to admit I’m superstitious, and when I had the number 1 on the chassis, things didn’t go well,” he explained from Brazil, where he met with the Brazilian champion’s family and sat in the cockpit of his Lotus. Sunday at Interlagos will mark his first Grand Prix as world champion, with a special helmet dedicated to Senna to mark the 35th anniversary of his victory in the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Ferrari is far from calm. Following the collision between Hamilton and Leclerc at the Mexican Grand Prix—which paved the way for Max Verstappen’s victory—Jean Alesi spoke of “two drivers who seem to be racing for themselves.” Frédéric Vasseur, taking stock of the season so far, admitted: “In hindsight, I would have done practically everything differently this year,” pointing to the engine as the key problem—a multi-year project that cannot be changed quickly. A Ferrari team that hasn’t won a title in twenty years, then, will have to prove it can deliver the competitive car Zoff is talking about.
