Carlo Vanzini responds to criticism on social media and speaks candidly about Kimi Antonelli
Sky commentator Carlo Vanzini spoke about the new Formula 1 sensation, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in an interview with Fanpage.it: “What amazes me most is his mindset. Having seen him up close, he reminds me so much of Alberto Tomba. Tomba, with all the pressure on him—forced to win ever since he’d started winning—would walk up to the starting gate smiling, without a care in the world.”
“It was the others who felt enormous pressure, because this kid from Bologna kept winning. In my opinion, that’s what happened to Antonelli after his first race win. I didn’t expect him to string together a series of wins like that or to be so dominant over Russell. As things have unfolded, we’ve realized we’re dealing with someone with above-average ability, like Hamilton, Verstappen, and the others.”
“A euro on who’ll win the World Championship? Right now, I’d put it on Kimi. So far, he’s only been held back by reliability, which is certainly an issue, but you can work on reliability; you can fix it. And in my opinion, he’s incredibly consistent. I believe the next three or four races will be crucial. It’s also a bit of a cliché to say so, because we’ll practically be halfway through the championship by then, and the assessments made after those races will carry more weight than the ones being made now. But I see him as the clear favorite.”
Carlo Vanzini also explained how he handles and deals with criticism on social media, which is often vicious and laced with insults: “When people tell me, ‘You’re the number one F1 commentator in Italy,’ I reply, ‘Of course I am—I’m the only one left now.’ I don’t have anyone to compare myself to directly. That said, on the one hand, compliments are obviously nice. On the other hand, I’m someone who pays close attention to criticism. When I see constructive criticism, I read it. I even read the comments I don’t consider constructive. When I see insults, honestly, they leave me cold, and I just move on. Insults stem from many different situations. Maybe someone gets angry because they can’t stand my voice. I’m the first to know that I can’t please everyone.”
“I read the criticism. I’m the first to be hypercritical of myself, and that’s both a strength and a limitation. After every race, I look for the mistakes I made, because mistakes are always made—nobody’s perfect. It’s a limitation because sometimes they’re minor mistakes, and I might miss out on enjoying the beauty of that day or what happened on the track. I think social media is an extraordinary thing, a fantastic opportunity to experience a democratic world where everyone can express their opinion. Before, it wasn’t possible for a spectator to do that; now they can. You always have to take inspiration from everything. I just wish there weren’t people who resort to insults. Every now and then I even check out the profiles of those who post insults. Sometimes I really don’t understand.”
The haters: “I’ll write to some of them: ‘Can you explain why? I want to understand where an insult—perhaps a harsh one—comes from.’ I have to say that when I write to ask why, they often reply, ‘No, sorry, I was going through a tough time myself.’ I don’t want to talk about keyboard warriors, because that’s not my style. I think everyone has the right to express their opinion. The only thing I ask for is respect for others. Everyone has their own story, their own family, and their own past experiences. If all of that is called into question with insults, I don’t think that’s pleasant.”
