Antonelli pinches Gravina: “Ours is a sport for amateurs…”

At home for a well-deserved break Having closed the Japanese Grand Prix with a victory that earned him the provisional leadership of the world championship, Andrea Kimi Antonelli returned to San Marino, where he lives, to enjoy the break that will continue until the beginning of May, when F1 will return to the track in Miami (on the same circuit where he obtained pole position in the Sprint qualifying last year). In an interview given to Sky Sport F1, the 19-year-old from Bologna spoke about the particularly positive moment he is experiencing, while maintaining a certain concentration already for the next event: “Of course, in the end it’s a shame that we have such a long break, but at the same time I’m not complaining too much because I manage to spend quite a few days at home. It’s important, because in any case it was a fairly intense, very intense start to the season. The pre-season was also very intense, so it’s always nice and it’s It’s important to be able to spend some days here at home.” Gravina’s gaffe and Antonelli’s joke Also during this interview, Antonelli also reserved a jab at the former FICG President Gabriele Gravina. The latter, after the third consecutive elimination of the Italian national team at the World Cup, had indicated football as a professional sport, unlike all the other disciplines considered amateur. A statement that sparked numerous reactions from many athletes, including Antonelli. When asked about the fact that, due to his young age (born in 2006), he never managed to enjoy the best years of the national team, the Mercedes driver responded with an instant joke: “Among other things, we play a sport for amateurs…”. A reaction that is already making the rounds on social media, but the 19-year-old also added considerations and memories related to the ‘Azzurri’: “Obviously it’s a shame that we’re not going to the World Cup this year… I have wonderful memories of the European Championships: I remember that I was at the European Championship match in Naples, in Sarno, and after winning the match my mother and I ran into the car and went home as quickly as possible because we wanted to watch the European Championship final: that it was a wonderful period, because seeing the national team play in the European Championship in that case was really nice. Obviously I was very disappointed not to see the national team qualify for the World Cup. It’s one more reason to try to continue to bring Italy to the top in my field.”