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Kimi Antonelli says it would be wonderful to recreate “the same effect in F1”, that Italian legend Valentino Rossi had in MotoGP.
2026 F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli says the would like to develop some of the same characteristics that his countryman, seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi had.
“Very often, the races, he won them even before going down on the track,” Antonelli told Automoto Italy.
“He was very strong mentally. It would be nice to be able to experience this feeling. As an athlete, then, Vale was very complete, very fast, very strong in the race.
“Especially on weekends that seemed uphill, when he started backwards and managed to recover.
“And he managed to attract a huge audience. Even today you can see people wearing his merchandise at MotoGP races even if he doesn’t race anymore.
“It would be wonderful to recreate the same effect in F1, the esteem, the support, the cheering… It’s a very beautiful thing.”
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Antonelli also mentioned some other high-performing sports stars from his country that he is friends with, such as current MotoGP star Marco Bezzecchi, long-jumper Mattia Furlani, who won gold at the 2025 World Championships, and current world number one tennis player, five-time grand slam winner Jannik Sinner.
“It’s wonderful to have sports friends who compete at the highest levels, who understand what it means to manage pressure, the moments before a race, when you need to have your own space.
“I’m also very close to Mattia Furlani, whom I met in Monza. It’s nice to have these kinds of bonds, because they give you additional motivation to do even better.
“I’m glad to see them win, and I’d like to do the same, if not better. Even if doing better than Sinner is difficult.
“I consider Bezzecchi one of my best friends. We support each other, and when I can, I go to his races. When we are at home, we both go out for dinner together, and our groups of friends have joined.
“What he does is really crazy,” the Italian concluded.
