The World Cup won in Mexico brings Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the sports pages all over the world. «Such a young giant», «He made history», «A unique champion»: in the headlines of the international media the Mercedes driver’s feat has a common denominator, age. No one before him had managed to win the Formula 1 title at the age of twenty.
The big foreign titles
Alongside the sporting result, what is striking is the contrast between the youth of the protagonist and the maturity shown behind the wheel. L’Équipe tells it through an image: «He is still an eternal Peter Pan, but he already has the reflexes of a champion». A portrait that holds the boy and the driver together, without separating the spontaneity off the track from the ability to deal with the pressure of the title race. The BBC instead looks at the effect of the success on the entire discipline, calling it “an incredible breath of fresh air for Formula 1”. The arrival at the top of such a young champion becomes the sign of a new season for the Circus. The Spanish Marca chooses the path of storytelling, ideally returning to his childhood spent in contact with engines: «The child who fell asleep on the slopes made his dream come true». From his first experiences in the world of racing to his Mexican consecration, Antonelli’s journey thus becomes a story capable of speaking beyond the confines of the Formula 1 public.