Kimi Antonelli has been the man of the moment in Formula 1 in 2026. At just 19 years old, the Italian driver is currently leading the F1 world championship and spearheading Mercedes. However, a close friend of his, Alberto Tomba, feels Antonelli is destined for a Ferrari move in spite of all the success he has managed to get with Mercedes.

Tomba, an Alpine Skier who hails from Emilia Romagna, Italy, is a close friend of the Mercedes driver. They often meet, chat, and have meals together. In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 60-year-old spoke about the new generation of Italian stars that have grabbed global attention, such as tennis player Jannik Sinner and Kimi Antonelli.

Specifically addressing his relationship with the Mercedes F1 driver, Tomba said,"A guy from my neighborhood: from Bologna. I really like him, we keep in touch. We recently met for lunch on the Riviera."

Interestingly, Tomba delivered a verdict following this, where he shed light on Antonelli's first name, and stated that he will become a champion (connect Kimi Raikkonen). However, the surprise came when he spoke about a potential future at Ferrari for the Italian youngster.

"Kimi, with that first name, was destined to become a champion. Now he's at Mercedes, and he'll definitely be at Ferrari in the future," Tomba added.

Ferrari, being the most popular and the most successful F1 team in the sport, every driver at least once in their lifetime wants to race in those scarlet red cars. From Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel to Lewis Hamilton, nobody could resist the urge to be wreathed in red.

If Tomba's prediction were to come true, Kimi Antonelli could be the next big thing at Ferrari. While he could become the next Ferrari poster boy after Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia's volatile performance will be the only thing troubling him.

Can Kimi Antonelli become a Ferrari driver someday? What Enzo Ferrari's son said

In March, Piero Ferrari, the son of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the great Italian manufacturer, shared his thoughts on potentially seeing Kimi Antonelli at the Maranello-based team. Not ruling out the entire scenario, here's what he told Corriere della Sport:

"It’s not forbidden. There have been Italians at Ferrari, and the last one who tried, a dear friend, Michele Alboreto, didn’t succeed. Antonelli has already proven he deserves top-flight cars: with a little experience, he’ll certainly become a great driver."

There have been multiple Italian drivers who raced in Ferrari, such as Giancarlo Fisichella, Michele Alboreto, Ludovico Scarfiotti, and Lorenzo Bandini, among many others. With that said, a driver moving from Mercedes to Ferrari is also not rare, as happened with Lewis Hamilton most recently.

But silly season talks aside, the focus now shifts to the Canadian GP this weekend, where Kimi Antonelli will aim to extend his 20-point lead over teammate George Russell in the championship.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yask Kotak