An Italian renaissance starting in Melbourne?
On Sunday, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli lines up on the grid for the start of the Australian Grand Prix it will be 1190 days since the last time an Italian took part in an actual Formula 1 race. On 12 December 2021, an hydraulic problem forced Antonio Giovinazzi to retire on lap 34 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a race that has gone down in history as the moment the sport went from the Hamilton era to Verstappen's period of dominance. After that…nothing, the Italian flag has not been seen since on the television graphics alongside a driver's name.
And yet, on the all-time list of the most race starts per driver nationality, Italy is fourth on 845, behind Great Britain (1109), France (989) and Germany (906). Currently two of the teams in the championship – Ferrari and Racing Bulls – are entered under the Italian flag and yet the country has not had a driver in a competitive team for over 15 years now. That explains why the last time the Italian tricolor was seen on the podium dates back to the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, when Jarno Trulli finished second for Toyota at its home race in Suzuka. Trying to find an Italian who was first past the chequered flag involves going even further back in time, specifically to 19 March 2006 in Sepang, when Giancarlo Fisichella won the Malaysian Grand Prix for Renault.
2025 is therefore a significant moment in the history of Italians in motor racing's blue riband category. Mercedes, a dominant presence in the sport's recent history with eight Constructors' titles, seven Drivers' crowns and 120 wins to its name since 2010 has chosen the 18 year old Antonelli to slip into the cockpit and the very big shoes of Lewis Hamilton, who has moved to the court of Maranello to chase the dream of an eighth world title. Is it too big a gamble? Team boss Toto Wolff is definitely not the sort to make rash decisions: if Kimi is here in Melbourne, about to tackle his first Grand Prix, it's because he has shown that he has what it takes to be a front runner. At the age of 18 years, six months and 19 days, Kimi will become the third youngest driver to debut in Formula 1, after Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, and he will take his place as the 85th Italian to line up on the Formula 1 grid.
His arrival on the scene has generated plenty of enthusiasm and excitement in Italy, the like of which has not been felt for over a decade, as it's fair to say that despite support from Ferrari, Giovinazzi was unable to set the world alight. Will Italian fans once again be able to cheer a pole position or a race win that hasn't come courtesy of Ferrari? It seems that, for now, the answer lies with Mercedes and much will depend on how good is their car for this year. Of course, the driver has to be up to the job and Antonelli has worked hard to prepare for his debut, but it's natural that he will need time to get to grips with this new environment. It's one thing to rack up thousands of kilometres of testing with the track to yourself, but quite another to find yourself alongside the Hamiltons, Verstappens and Leclercs of this world.
Therefore, this weekend will be very special for the Italian motorsport industry and not just because of Antonelli. Two other talented Italian youngsters are competing in Formula 2: last year's Formula 3 champion, 21 year old Leonardo Fornaroli who is now with Invicta Racing and the man who fought him all the way to finish second in the feeder series, 20 year old Gabriele Minì, who moves up one category, still with the Prema team. Both drivers actually took part in the final round of last year's Formula 2 championship and proved to be up to the job in hand. The Formula 3 grid this year includes three Italian youngsters: Brando Badoer (son of Luca, a long-time Ferrari test driver back in the Schumacher days), Nicola Lacorte and Nicola Marinangeli.
This weekend in Albert Park might come to be remembered as the start of something special for Italian motor racing, perhaps even a new Renaissance.
