Yesterday, July 23rd, during the 54th edition of Giffoni Film Festival, the host of the sports section, Kimi Antonelli, left several statements. Between his year in F2, his latest victory and his future in Motorsport, below are the words of the young driver.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a meeting powered by ACI at Giffoni
Antonelli he has just returned from his victory in Hungary it gave emotion to the team but above all to the fans. The start of the season with Prema in F2 It didn't go in the best way, but his tenacity led him to persevere with his goals. He then spoke of the numerous sacrifices that brought him to where he is today and which will certainly take him even further.
«I believe that motorsport is a beautiful sport, it offers many satisfactions and emotions, but also many disappointments. The important thing is to know how to get up when you have a bad moment and always believe in the goal you want to achieve. I am very happy that Giffoni has opened up to Motorsport and I hope that these guys will be able to achieve their goal in the future.»
«It is a sport that requires many sacrifices, since I was a child I have always spent more time on the track than at home, let's say I gave up the life of a "normal boy". The track and the hotels are my home now. As a child I suffered a bit, but once I understood what I wanted to do, my dream, I no longer paid attention to it. With sacrifices you can achieve any goal."
A look at its future
He then gave us his overview of the future, as he sees the older Kimi, always ready to persevere with his dreams. For Kimi the dream exists, he reiterated it several times during the conference, but when he lowers his visor it is no longer something dreamlike, but a goal, something to be achieved at all costs with his tenacity.
«My goals? Arriving in F1 and winning, nothing official yet, let's see what happens next year. And then in any case I must say that my idol is Senna, one thing that impressed me is that he was great as a driver but also as a person, I would like to achieve even just a small part of what he did.»
«Let's say that the start of the season was not as we expected, very difficult. We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a complicated season for the team, so let's say that I also struggled a bit to express my potential. Now that we are improving and starting to see some satisfaction, we have risen in the rankings and there is still a long way to go in the championship to obtain other results.»
We couldn't help but gather the basis of his dream, the story of the beginning
«The passion was passed on to me by my father, a former Super Turismo driver. Since '94 he has been team manager of a team. Since I was little he has always taken me to the track and when I tried a kart the passion exploded inside me. By winning races I had more and more desire to continue. The important lessons that motorsport has taught me: stay humble, always fly low and focus on what you need to do and on yourself. Furthermore, what he taught me is to accept the fact of having to give up things for something bigger, to be self-critical which is important if you always want to improve.»
To those who ask him what it means live with pressure of everyone, who believes in his future and who expects great heroic deeds, from his humility of a 17 year old boy, he replies: «I'm still young, I still have a lot of time to get where I want. I'm very passionate, in the end when I joined Mercedes the pressure increased, but it's part of the game. The ability lies in not suffering it but using it to emerge even more. Sometimes I still struggle, especially when the results weren't coming this season. I have the right people next to me who help me manage everything around me, to manage the pressure especially in difficult moments. The victory at Silverstone helped me to free myself from the pressure, but it's part of the game and you have to learn to make it a strong point. The important thing is also to take a break, after Spa there will be a summer break and in these difficult times you need a couple of weeks of break, and then come back more energized than before.»
A young Kimi Antonelli struggling with his driving license, his experience
«The fact of racing on the track at high speed and then not being able to race on the street is very strange. However, the track is safe, the car too, on the road you must respect all limits for your own life and that of others. Sometimes I ask my mother if I can drive, but I'm a minor and I can't risk it. I drive a microcar, it goes slow and is very boring, the practical exam was difficult, the instructor was not happy with how I drove, I drove too recklessly. In the end I calmed down and then I managed to pass him, I learned to distinguish the track from the road.»
The arrival at the Mercedes Academy, the right moment
«In 2017 we received several offers from the academies and none of them convinced us, then Mercedes arrived thanks to Giancarlo Minardi. It is important to wait for the right moment that makes you change your career. In the Hungarian race, for example, the SafetyCar reached the lucky spot, but I was already lucky from the start of the race. It's important to wait for the right time, it changes your life and career."
WhomFurthermore, he loves following his father on his path, helping promising kids like someone helped him previously. «For the moment I don't have much time to follow the team (of my father's note), but as soon as I have time I'll go there very willingly. This year there is a very young driver who is competing in the European championship and he is doing quite well, for now he is our top driver. When I go I try to help the kids as much as possible, even in the tests I try to help them in the areas where they struggle. On test days, going with them makes you understand their strong and weak points much more"
The arrival in F1, a future already written
We can't help but expect Andrea Kimi Antonelli in F1. Whether it's next year or in two years, as we gain more experience, the pilot's destiny is already written. What's more, he tells us that he has already chosen the number to use in highest category.
«Yes, I'm ready for F1, absolutely and I can't wait to get there. It takes commitment, but that is not lacking and then there is a need for an Italian driver in F1"
«The number I will use is 12. Because I used it in F4, regional, but this year I couldn't because in F2 it is based on the team's ranking in the previous year.»
Furthermore, Giancarlo Minardi, also present at the conference, added with a smile and, perhaps, a sense of pride: «I guarantee you that he is ready, I often see him when he races and I go to visit him in Imola.»
