Kimi Antonelli Meets President Mattarella: The World Champion’s Special Invitation—The Video

Kimi Antonelli, the newly crowned Formula 1 world champion, was received on Friday by President Sergio Mattarella. The young Mercedes driver arrived at the Quirinale Palace accompanied by his father Marco, his mother Veronica, and his little sister. During the meeting, the champion from Bologna presented the Head of State with his helmet, featuring a written and autographed dedication on the visor: “To President Mattarella, with great admiration.”

The Quirinale released a video of the meeting, which documents Antonelli’s special invitation and some intriguing questions from the Head of State.

“It’s a bit of a stretch for me to hold,” Mattarella joked, appreciating Antonelli’s gift, to which Antonelli replied with a smile, “No, no, you can take it.” This was followed by a brief exchange about the challenges drivers face during a race. “When you get out of the car, it’s a relief to take off your helmet,” Mattarella observed. “It’s really hot, isn’t it?” the driver admitted, explaining that during a race, drivers lose an average of a couple of kilos due to the physical exertion behind the wheel of the single-seater race car.

The conversation then continued with an invitation from Antonelli to attend the Italian Grand Prix in 2027, following this year’s triumph after starting from the back of the grid. The Head of State hinted that, if possible, he would gladly go to Monza

Winning the world title—which was mathematically secured at the Mexican Grand Prix—made Antonelli the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. Kimi has brought Italy back to the top of international motorsports seventy-three years after the last Italian victory, achieved by Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The audience at the Quirinale represents the highest institutional recognition for the young Italian talent’s achievement, but the season isn’t over yet: the next race in the United States—the Las Vegas Grand Prix—is just around the corner, scheduled for the weekend of November 22, followed by the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, which, despite concerns about the delicate situation in the Middle East, have been confirmed by F1 officials and the FIA president himself, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.