Formula 1 title-leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli has detailed how his rising profile has affected him from the perspective of being recognised, revealing that “there are times I would like to be unrecognised.”
The Italian’s status as a star athlete has risen sharply this year, having overturned a tough first year in F1 to now leading the title by 45 points going into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Six victories across the opening 10 rounds sees the 19-year-old also hold a 50-point advantage over his teammate, George Russell.
Antonelli, by default, has become a somewhat ‘flavour of the month’ when it comes to his steadily-rising profile as a top-level athlete, particularly in his homeland.
Ahead of his victorious Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli told media, including Motorsport Week, that he is he delighted with how he is being received by his countrymen and women, but admitted he is having to “embrace” the idea of being recognised by people in moments of privacy.
“It’s great to see the support when I go back home,” he said. “Also because, as Italians, we’re quite emotional. We show our emotions a lot. So to see the excitement is great.
“However, you also need to be careful with the expectations that are built. But it’s always great to be back home, especially after a good weekend, to see so much support.
“Also, to the other question of being famous, for sure there are times where you would like not to be recognised when you do certain things, when you go for dinner. But that’s also part of being an athlete.
“To be fair, as long as you’re able to embrace these moments, I think it’s also very nice and very enjoyable.
“But, of course, there are times where I would like to be unrecognised. At the same time, I know it’s part of it, and I’m very happy this way.”
‘One race at a time’ – Antonelli’s advice from Roger Federer
The Monday after his gut-wrenching British Grand Prix – in which a wheel shield caused irreparable damage to his W17, costing him victory – Antonelli took in a day at Wimbledon.
Antonelli sat in the royal box, and struck up conversation with eight-time winner Federer, and when asked for details on their discussion, he revealed they talked tennis, and received some advice on how to mentally approach the remainder of his F1 season.
“It was great. It was my first time at Wimbledon,” he explained. “In the past couple of years, I’ve got more and more into tennis. Obviously, also knowing Jannik [Sinner, fellow Italian and Wimbledon winner], you start watching. So, it was a really cool experience, and also to be able to talk with Roger was great.
“He told me a lot about the grass court and also from his previous experiences. It was just great to chat with him about anything, to be fair.
“We chatted about my races. We chatted about when he used to play, and also about his life in general. So, it was great because I think he’s also, other than an incredible athlete, an incredible person as well. Very humble and very open. So, it was great.
“About pressure, he just told me to really focus one race at a time, just focus on what you can control, and also to control the emotions, especially the ones that can make you do mistakes.
“Those were the main pieces of advice. Other than that, it was an incredible experience to witness.”
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