Italy has been celebrating Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes driver clinched the Formula One world championship in Mexico City, becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history at 20 years old.
According to a Reuters report published by The Straits Times, a third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday was enough for the Bologna-born driver to secure the crown. He is the first Italian to take the title since 1953.
The achievement drew praise from the highest level of Italian politics. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X, sharing an image of Antonelli holding the national flag and describing his title as an "extraordinary achievement". She said the success returned an Italian driver to the top of the world and called it a source of great national pride.
Italian newspapers joined in the acclaim on Monday. La Gazzetta dello Sport used a wordplay headline meaning Legendary Kimi, while La Stampa declared that Antonelli had made history.
Ordinary Italians also shared in the mood. In Rome, one resident likened Antonelli to tennis star Jannik Sinner, calling the pair two of the brightest names in Italian sport and praising the young driver's talent and work ethic. Another Rome worker noted the long wait for an Italian champion, whether driving for Ferrari or any other constructor.
Antonelli's path to the title began early. His father raced sports cars and brought him to the circuit as a young boy, and Mercedes signed him at the age of 11, when he was competing in karting and already showing clear promise as a future Formula One driver.
Celebrations took place across the country on race night. Several hundred supporters gathered at the Checco Costa Museum at the Imola circuit to watch a screening of the grand prix late on Sunday. Although Imola is regarded as Ferrari's home track, fans set aside their usual loyalties to cheer on the Mercedes driver.
In his home city of Bologna, a cinema hosted a separate watch party, and the local Serie A football club posted a message on X saying the whole city was proud of him.