Maurizio Arrivabene and Kimi Antonelli’s Failed Move to Ferrari: Words That Hurt
Maurizio Arrivabene has once again spoken about Ferrari’s decision not to sign Kimi Antonelli. The former director of the Prancing Horse made these remarks during an interview with *Quotidiano Nazionale*. “I’ll say it again: I was there in Maranello at the time, and we didn’t have the proper structure in place to handle a young driver, no matter how promising he was. At the same time, I have no doubt that one day Antonelli will wear red. I imagine that’s his wish. It will happen when the time is right. In the meantime, I hope he wins this World Championship—he deserves it: he’s truly a magnificent champion.”
This isn’t the first time Arrivabene has revisited the subject. Back in June, also in *Quotidiano Nazionale*, the former team principal had recounted that story in detail: “In my last year at Ferrari, in 2018, Antonelli was 10 or 11 years old. At that time, Ferrari didn’t yet have the infrastructure to handle such young kids. I’m speaking not as a team principal, but on behalf of the company. Plus, things at Ferrari are a bit more complicated than at other teams. You have to understand the context.” Arrivabene had also added, with a touch of optimism: “Precisely because he’s 19 and incredibly talented, I believe he’ll have plenty of time to win a World Championship even driving for Ferrari.”
On November 24, 2014, Maurizio Arrivabene was appointed director of Scuderia Ferrari, replacing Marco Mattiacci. Under his leadership, the Maranello-based team secured three second-place finishes in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship—in the 2015, 2017, and 2018 seasons—with Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel as drivers. The German driver also finished second in the Drivers’ Championship in both 2017 and 2018. Arrivabene remained at the helm of Ferrari until January 7, 2019, when he was replaced by Mattia Binotto.
Arrivabene’s comments come at a particularly opportune moment for Antonelli, fresh off a historic achievement. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the 20-year-old from Bologna secured an extraordinary victory after starting from 19th on the grid due to a penalty for a power unit change, becoming the first Italian to win his home Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. Finishing behind him were his Mercedes teammate George Russell and Max Verstappen in his Red Bull. It was a dismal Sunday for Ferrari, however: Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in sixth place, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after a crash.
The victory at Monza further solidified Antonelli’s lead in the 2026 Drivers’ World Championship standings. The Bologna native leads by 76 points over Lewis Hamilton, with George Russell in third, 8 points behind the British Ferrari driver. Mercedes also leads the Constructors’ Championship by a wide margin over Ferrari. This dominance has further fueled the so-called “Kimi-mania” in Italy: as early as June, his number of Instagram followers had surpassed 6.9 million, making him the most-followed driver of his generation, with a follower count even higher than that of Italian champions such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Pecco Bagnaia, and Jannik Sinner.
