Kimi Antonelli has firmly shut down options of a future transfer to Ferrari, reaffirming his loyalty to Mercedes whereas accepting the distinguished Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in Italy this week.
The 19-year-old driver has been beneath intense media scrutiny after changing into the youngest driver to guide the Formulation 1 drivers’ championship along with his win on the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix.
His victory at Suzuka got here on the again of his maiden F1 win on the Chinese language Grand Prix in Shanghai, and he has since gone on to say two extra grand prix wins in Miami and Canada.Â
After his win in Montreal, Antonelli travelled to Brisighella to be honoured on the thirty third version of the Trofeo Lorenzo Bandini. Established in 1992 in reminiscence of the late Lorenzo Bandini, the trophy is awarded to people for “a commendable efficiency in motorsport”.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Picture by: Mario Renzi / Formulation 1 through Getty Photographs
After accepting the award, Antonelli sat down with the media. When requested about current chatter about probably becoming a member of Ferrari sooner or later, the Italian driver defined: “Ferrari is a big workforce with an unbelievable following and can stay in historical past eternally. However I’m a Mercedes driver, and my objective is to win with Mercedes. They gave me a fantastic alternative from a younger age, supported me all through my total journey, and I really feel an obligation to present my finest for this workforce. Then, we’ll see.”
Earlier recipients of the award embrace David Coulthard in 1995, Jacques Villeneuve in 1996, Jenson Button in 2001, Michael Schumacher in 2003, Lewis Hamilton in 2010 and Max Verstappen in 2016, amongst many others.
Antonelli now appears to be like forward to the sixth spherical of the 2026 season in Monte Carlo from 5-7 June. Heading into the Monaco Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver has a 43-point lead over his team-mate George Russell, with 131 factors in comparison with the Briton’s 88 factors.
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