Dec.18 (GMM) Kimi Antonelli has moved to cool speculation linking him with Ferrari, insisting his focus remains firmly on winning a world championship with Mercedes.
Speaking to Sky Italia at the ACI Caschi d’Oro awards in collaboration with Autosprint, the Italian rookie acknowledged Ferrari’s appeal but made clear he is content where he is.
“Ferrari is an incredibly great team. Racing for Ferrari is wonderful, but I’m very happy with where I am and I’m grateful for the opportunity Mercedes has given me,” Antonelli said.
“My dream right now is to win a world championship with them, then we’ll see in the future.”
The 19-year-old, who finished seventh overall in his debut F1 season, also looked ahead to the regulation reset next year. “Next year will be a great opportunity for us drivers because we’ll all be starting from scratch,” he said.
“No one knows what to expect from the cars. I can’t wait to get started. It all looks promising, even if you don’t know where your opponents are.”
Reflecting on 2025, Antonelli described it as an important learning year. “I have to say that the season was quite positive,” he said. “Despite a less positive period, I managed to get out of that negative cycle and this helped me grow a lot as a person and as a driver. The second part of the season was very positive.”
He also admitted that fear still plays a role before races. “The 30 minutes before getting in the car are the most critical,” Antonelli said. “Sometimes you have that little voice that scares you a little and makes you doubt. But once you concentrate and enter that bubble where it’s just you and your car, you don’t even think about the rest.”
Eurosport Italia quoted Antonelli as again shutting down Ferrari rumours, stressing: “Ferrari is definitely the most glamorous team in the world, but I’m happy where I am.
“Mercedes has always been by my side, from karting to F1, and my dream is to win a world championship with them.”