Giancarlo Fisichella has expressed immense pride in Kimi Antonelli’s breakthrough Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, which marked the first time an Italian driver had won a race in nearly two decades. The 19-year-old Mercedes protégé ended a drought that stretched back to Fisichella’s own triumph at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix with Renault, creating a remarkable generational connection between the two Italian racers.
Speaking to F1.com about witnessing his records fall, Fisichella highlighted the extraordinary timing of the achievement. “If you consider the fact that when I won 20 years ago, Kimi was not even born!” he noted with a smile, referencing how his March 2006 victory preceded Antonelli’s birth by just five months. The veteran driver praised Antonelli’s “almost perfect” weekend in Shanghai, where the teenager claimed pole position before leading from start to finish.
Antonelli’s dominant performance has captured the imagination of Italian motorsport fans, with Fisichella revealing the widespread excitement across the country. “In Italy, everybody has been talking about Kimi – everybody is happy,” he explained, adding that journalists and television stations had been calling him constantly following the race weekend. The achievement also saw Antonelli break Fisichella’s record as Italy’s youngest F1 polesitter from the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.
Looking ahead, Fisichella believes Antonelli has excellent prospects for additional victories given Mercedes’ current competitive advantage with the W17. The three-time Grand Prix winner advised his compatriot to adopt a “race by race” mentality without pressure, noting that even second-place finishes would represent fantastic results. With Antonelli sitting just four points behind teammate George Russell in the championship standings after two rounds, Fisichella sees potential for sustained success throughout the season while hoping Ferrari can also contribute to making it a particularly memorable year for Italian motorsport.