Kimi Antonelli has explained how he hopes to emulate Valentino Rossi's support among fans long after his career has ended.
Rossi, a seven-time premier-class MotoGP champion, last competed on two wheels in 2021, bringing down the curtain on a glittering career that made him one of the most famous competitors in all of motorsport.
He remains a popular figure, with fans often still seen in his merchandise at races, with his iconic #46 race number even half a decade on from his retirement.
At the other end of the spectrum, Antonelli is Italy's most successful F1 driver since 1953 and is in just his second season of grand prix racing, but is closing in on becoming the youngest-ever world champion, at just 20 years old.
Should he go on to shatter Sebastian Vettel's record from 2010, Antonelli would become the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and has spoken of his admiration for the public connection between Rossi and his fans, something the Mercedes driver hopes he can one day replicate.
"Very often, the races, he won them even before going down on the track," Antonelli told Automoto Italy of 89-time premier class winner, Rossi.
"He was very strong mentally. It would be nice to be able to experience this feeling. As an athlete, then, Vale was very complete, very fast, very strong in the race, especially on weekends that seemed uphill, when he started backwards and managed to recover.
"And he managed to attract a huge audience. Even today you can see people wearing his merchandise at MotoGP races even if he doesn't race anymore.
"It would be wonderful to recreate the same effect in F1: the esteem, the support, the cheering. It's a very beautiful thing."
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Not just Rossi
Antonelli is also firm friends with current MotoGP star Marco Bezzecchi and other stars of Italian sport, including long-jumper Mattia Furlani, who won gold at the 2025 World Championships, and current world number one Men's tennis player, the five-time grand slam winner, Jannik Sinner.
Given the high-pressure environment all compete in, Antonelli then spoke of the positives of having such friends in elite sport.
"It's wonderful to have sports friends who compete at the highest levels, who understand what it means to manage pressure, the moments before a race, when you need to have your own space," Antonelli said.
"I'm also very close to Mattia Furlani, whom I met in Monza. It's nice to have these kinds of bonds, because they give you additional motivation to do even better.
"I'm glad to see them win, and I'd like to do the same, if not better. Even if doing better than Sinner is difficult.
"I consider Bezzecchi one of my best friends. We support each other, and when I can, I go to his races. When we are at home, we both go out for dinner together, and our groups of friends have joined. What he does is really crazy."
Originally published by RacingNews365 —
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