The former Italian Ferrari boss points out how Andrea Kimi Antoneri is suited to the famous Formula One team.
Lewis Hamilton has become the latest blockbuster driver to sign Ferrari this year, even if his era, which has the most successful team in Formula 1 history, is challenging.
Mercedes placed his faith in Antonelli, a talented teenager from Italy, as a newcomer for Hamilton.
Antonelli is sixth in F1 ranking after four rounds, falling behind both McLaren Driver, Max Verstappen, George Russell and Charles Leclair. But he is one place beyond Hamilton.
His exciting driving style caught his eye in his hometown. There, it is interesting to note that creating an eye-catching Ferrari driver.
“Antoneri is a top-class driver. Sorry to meet him at Mercedes,” said Luca di Montezemoro, president of Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s Prime, to the Italian skies.
“What if I had taken him? I might not be at 18, but in Sauber for a few years and…”
Another former Ferrari boss, Stephano Domenicali, now CEO of Formula 1, has also noticed Antonelli’s suitability for the iconic red car.
He told SkyItalia:
“In this world, especially in today’s world, we need a driver who represents the reference figures of the youth world.
“So that would be really good, but I don’t think Toto Wolf agrees that much now,” Domenicali added of Antoneri: “We have to grow him, he is an extraordinary guy.
“Watching him enter the paddock with his family and sister’s hands in his hands, he gives us a romantic dimension of sports and gets stronger when he pulls down the visor.
“I think it’s right to wait before identifying him with some champions, but the certainty is that he will become the main character of our world.”
Ferrari: “It’s very close to winning”
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari is already under pressure to start a lower-ranked start this weekend, heading for the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Leclerc and Hamilton were fourth and fifth in Bahrain last weekend.
Leclair, lamenting the lack of car pace in Bahrain, could not predict when Ferrari would discover more performances.
But Domenicali has a much more optimistic view.
“I’m looking at Ferraris that are very close to winning people,” the F1 CEO said.
“The only advice I can give to Fred Vaserre is to keep heading down without feeling the weight of natural pressure for those who hold that position.
“I’m sure Ferrari will win again this year.”
Domenicali said of Ferrari’s Hamilton: “This is an extraordinary sporting challenge.
“Winning right away is not a trivial thing. I think his tenacity and strength is to believe in and grow alongside his team.”