Kimi Antonelli, F1's youngest world champion, says he is hungrier than before

A hungrier champion

Kimi Antonelli, a 20-year-old Mercedes driver who won the Formula 1 world championship as the youngest champion in the sport's history, said at a press conference at the Kursaal in San Marino on 12 November that the title has not satisfied him. He told reporters his hunger is perhaps even greater than before, and that winning is a feeling he wants to relive more and more. He framed the remaining races as the start of his preparation for 2027, with the aim of finishing the year well, perhaps with a few more victories, and then repeating the success next season. Antonelli, who has made San Marino his home for a few years, said the fire inside him is still burning.

“Despite the victory, I am perhaps even hungrier than before. Winning is a wonderful feeling.”

Looking ahead to 2027

Antonelli named Verstappen, Norris, Hamilton and Leclerc, together with his teammate Russell, as the drivers who will fight for the title next year, and said the top teams are already very close. He pointed to Red Bull and McLaren as having improved, with Ferrari still in contention. He added that the leading teams are no longer as dominant as they were at the start of the year, and that the favourites change from circuit to circuit. He was unsure whether Mercedes can repeat its success under the budget cap and with the wind tunnel hours allotted to it, which are fewer now that the team has won. He called the 2027 regulation changes a restart from zero, and said the three remaining Grands Prix will include many tests to understand the car better.

“If I have to choose one driver who will cause the most problems, it will be Max Verstappen.”

Sinner and a kart day

Asked about Jannik Sinner, Antonelli called him a great friend and said they still have a go-kart day to do together. If Sinner would rather switch to a GT3 car, Antonelli said he would happily do that instead. He said he had been pleased by Sinner's compliments and hoped to see him soon, adding that he also hoped to spend a day with him at the end of the season.

“Let's try to spend a day together in a car, I hope to see him soon: he is a great friend.”

Honours in San Marino

After the press conference, Antonelli was received at Palazzo Pubblico, the seat of the parliament, where the two Captains Regent, Gerardo Giovagnoli and William Casali, were waiting for him. Sports Secretary of State Rossano Fabbri and Christian Forcellini, president of the San Marino National Olympic Committee, also took part. He was made a commendatore of the Order of Sant'Agata, an honour established in 1923 and given to foreign citizens who have served the republic. Team principal Toto Wolff received the same honour but could not attend. In the guestbook, Antonelli wrote that he would remember the day forever and would keep trying to carry positive values, the tricolour and San Marino to the top. That evening he attended the Italy versus France Nations League match at San Siro in Milan.

Tricolour hair and a new mindset

Antonelli arrived at a Mercedes team celebration in England with tricolour hair, which left Toto Wolff disbelieving, and Italian reports say Wolff asked whether he had even paid for it. Antonelli said the colour kept washing out and his white hair had turned grey. He had wanted blue dye, but only real paint was available, so he decided against using it. Looking back, he said that last year he thought too much about the final result rather than how to reach it, and that this year he completely changed his approach. He said he jokes when the moment allows but switches fully once he is in the car, with one goal: to be the best.