Steiner believes: F1 champion Antonelli will be putting his foot down for Ferrari in the future

By winning the title, Formula 1 champion Kimi Antonelli has ended a long dry spell: For the first time in 73 years, an Italian has once again been crowned world champion in the premier class of motor racing – the last Italian world champion was Alberto Ascari, who achieved this in a Ferrari in 1953.

There was great jubilation across the country. And for many Italians, the question immediately arose: when will the Mercedes star be chasing points for the unofficial national team, Scuderia Ferrari? And, of course, various F1 experts have weighed in on the matter.

No imminent team switch for Kimi Antonelli

Günther Steiner, himself an Italian, was also asked about the possibility of the 20-year-old from Bologna having a future in red. Speaking to “RacingNews365.com”, the former Haas team principal explained: “Some people are naturally wondering why he isn’t driving for us. That’s the only fly in the ointment for Italy – that there’s an Italian champion who isn’t putting his foot down for Ferrari.”

“I think, at some point… You have to bear in mind that he’s 20 years old. He’s still so young, and at some point, in my opinion, he’ll be driving for Ferrari,” predicts the South Tyrolean. “Will that happen any time soon?” he then asks, before providing the answer himself: “No, it won’t. It might take another ten years. But eventually, as an Italian with his talent, he’ll end up there – that’s obvious.”

Günther Steiner is convinced: Kimi Antonelli is on Ferrari’s wish list

“I’d actually put it another way: they’ll get him. He could switch tomorrow if he wanted to,” Steiner is certain. Antonelli has a Mercedes contract that ties him to the manufacturer’s works team until at least the end of 2027.

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And following his outstanding victory at Monza, the nine-time Grand Prix winner emphasised: “As an Italian, I know how emotional we can be and how passionate we get about certain things. Sometimes we even go a bit over the top. So, of course, there will always be rumours like that.”

“But ultimately, as much as Ferrari is an outstanding brand, I’m very happy where I am right now. I feel at home at Mercedes; they’ve supported me since I was a child and I feel I still have a lot to give back to them for that trust,” Kimi added unequivocally.