Raikkonen: “Antonelli has a special talent, he won’t do like Piastri in 2025”

Kimi follows Kimi In an interview given to Quotidiano Sportivo, Kimi Raikkonen said that he is following with great interest the rise of his namesake, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who the Formula 1 paddock now calls only ‘Kimi’. And it is certainly a curious endorsement, given that the Finnish ex-Ferrari champion has practically never spoken after hanging up his helmet after retiring from racing at the end of 2021, following his experience in Alfa Romeo Sauber. Raikkonen: “Antonelli can win the title” These are the words of Kimi Raikkonen to Leo Turrini: “Naturally I follow Antonelli’s exploits with great sympathy. It amuses me that he bears the same name as me, even if I think I understood it to be a banal coincidence. He is certainly very good… Obviously in Formula 1 you don’t win four consecutive grands prix if you don’t have a special talent. Antonelli’s numbers are impressive. It’s essential to have the right car, but it’s always been like this in all He can win the title and he believes in it, you can see it from how he approaches the races, from the spirit he puts into it. Antonelli will not lose concentration, he is showing maturity. He will have to avoid imitating the Piastri of 2025, at a certain point the Australian from McLaren seemed to have the title in his pocket but he couldn’t handle the pressure. Why is Antonelli called Kimi? As told in recent years, the name ‘Kimi’ was suggested to the Antonelli family by Enrico Bertaggia, a dear friend of father Marco. The reason? Simple phonetics. Kimi sounded good with Andrea and Antonelli, giving an international touch to the name.
Once he landed in Formula 1, the paddock – and primarily his ‘boss’ at Mercedes Toto Wolff – started calling him only Kimi, a name which after Raikkonen certainly rhymes with motorsport. Click here to add Formula Passion as your favorite source on Google Discover: you will find our content more easily!
Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-27 02:00:00