Fisichella's Pride in Antonelli's Breakthrough: Italy's First F1 Win in 20 Years

Giancarlo Fisichella, the last Italian driver to secure a pole position and race victory in Formula 1, has shared his heartfelt reactions to 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli's stunning debut win at the Chinese Grand Prix. The achievement ends a 20-year drought for Italian motorsport success in the premier series.

Antonelli, a Mercedes protégé, made history in Shanghai by claiming the youngest F1 pole position record during qualifying. He then converted that into a commanding victory on Sunday, fending off challenges from his teammate George Russell and the Ferrari duo. This triumph surpasses Fisichella's previous Italian benchmarks: his last pole with Force India at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix and his final win with Renault at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Speaking exclusively to F1.com, Fisichella reflected on the significance of Antonelli's success. "If you consider the fact that when I won 20 years ago, Kimi was not even born!" he said with a smile, noting that his Sepang victory occurred on March 19, 2006, while Antonelli was born later that year on August 25.

"It’s just great. I’m happy for him and I’m proud of him. Honestly, it was too much, 20 years, to [wait and] see an Italian driver back on the top step of the podium," Fisichella added. He drew parallels between their weekends, praising Antonelli's dominance: "Kimi had a fantastic weekend. Like my weekend in Malaysia 20 years ago, he was really competitive already in practice, then he scored pole position and then he won the race, leading from the first lap until the last lap. It was almost perfect."

The victory has sparked nationwide celebration in Italy. "In Italy, everybody has been talking about Kimi – everybody is happy. Also on my side, on the Sunday and Monday after the race, every journalist, TV station, everybody... they called me. After a long time that I stopped in F1… it’s not that they forget me, but now I am famous again!" Fisichella joked.

With a second-place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Antonelli trails Russell by just four points in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Round 3 in Japan. Fisichella advised the young driver to maintain focus: "Now it’s important for him to think race by race, with no pressure, because even if he finishes second, he’s got nothing to lose, it’s okay – he will do a fantastic job if he finishes second. If he wins? It’s even better. He can put some pressure on Russell."

The three-time Grand Prix winner also highlighted Mercedes' current edge with the W17 car, giving Antonelli a strong shot at more victories: "He’ll have a chance to do it again, and not just once, but a few times. He’s got the same opportunity as Russell, and at the moment Mercedes have the best car, so he’s got 50% of the chance to win races."

Beyond Mercedes' internal rivalry, Fisichella expressed optimism for Ferrari, a team he once raced for, to elevate the season for Italy. After strong performances in Australia and China, he hopes for a multi-team battle at the front. "At the moment, Ferrari look to be the second strongest team, and they could be very strong [going forward]," he said. "I hope they can find a good solution for the next few races, especially in the development of the engine. It would be a very nice fight at the front, and this is the hope for everybody in Italy – Kimi on one side, and Ferrari on the other side!"