One week ago, Mercedes protégé Kimi Antonelli ended an Italian motorsport drought as he became the first driver from the country to win a Formula 1 race in almost two decades.
Antonelli, 19, kicked off his Chinese Grand Prix weekend by claiming the youngest F1 polesitter record, before converting that P1 grid slot into a maiden victory on Sunday via an early battle with experienced team mate George Russell and the two Ferraris.
On both occasions, Antonelli took over from compatriot Giancarlo Fisichella, who had scored Italy’s last pole position with Force India at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, and Italy’s last triumph with Renault at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.
In high demand for his take on Antonelli’s achievements following the Shanghai event, Fisichella spared a few minutes to speak with F1.com about how he felt to see the records change hands, and what it meant to the Italian public.
“If you consider the fact that when I won 20 years ago, Kimi was not even born!” Fisichella smiled, with his Sepang victory coming on March 19, 2006, and Antonelli’s birth following on August 25 later that year.
“It’s just great. I’m happy for him and I’m proud of him. Honestly, it was too much, 20 years, to [wait and] see an Italian driver back on the top step of the podium.
“Kimi had a fantastic weekend. Like my weekend in Malaysia 20 years ago, he was really competitive already in practice, then he scored pole position and then he won the race, leading from the first lap until the last lap. It was almost perfect.
“In Italy, everybody has been talking about Kimi – everybody is happy. Also on my side, on the Sunday and Monday after the race, every journalist, TV station, everybody… they called me. After a long time that I stopped in F1… it’s not that they forget me, but now I am famous again!”
Antonelli’s maiden win, added to his runner-up finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, means he sits just four points behind Russell in the Drivers’ Championship standings heading to Round 3 in Japan.
With hype inevitably building around Antonelli’s prospects, which Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has been keen to play down, Fisichella advised his younger countryman to take a “race by race” approach – aided by the current performance advantage of the W17.
“He’ll have a chance to do it again, and not just once, but a few times,” three-time Grand Prix winner Fisichella added. “He’s got the same opportunity as Russell, and at the moment Mercedes have the best car, so he’s got 50% of the chance to win races.
“Now it’s important for him to think race by race, with no pressure, because even if he finishes second, he’s got nothing to lose, it’s okay – he will do a fantastic job if he finishes second. If he wins? It’s even better. He can put some pressure on Russell.”
That internal Mercedes battle aside, Fisichella is also hopeful that one of his former outfits, Ferrari, can make it a particularly special year for Italy by building on their strong showings in Australia and China and making it a sustained, multi-team scrap.
“At the moment, Ferrari look to be the second strongest team, and they could be very strong [going forward],” he added. “I hope they can find a good solution for the next few races, especially in the development of the engine.
“It would be a very nice fight at the front, and this is the hope for everybody in Italy – Kimi on one side, and Ferrari on the other side!”
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