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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the first Italian Formula 1 race winner in twenty years. The Mercedes youngster led every lap in China and did not give the rest of the field a moment's hope. The man whose record he broke, Giancarlo Fisichella, could not be happier about it.
"He Wasn't Even Born When I Won"
Fisichella spoke to F1.com after the race and the pride was obvious. "When you think that Kimi wasn't even born when I won 20 years ago, it's simply fantastic. I'm happy for him and proud of him. Honestly, it's been a long wait, 20 years, to finally see an Italian driver on the top step of the podium again."
Fisichella won the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix with Renault, and the parallels to Antonelli's China weekend were not lost on him. "Kimi had a fantastic weekend. Just like my weekend in Malaysia 20 years ago, he was already incredibly competitive in practice, took pole position, and then won the race, leading from the first lap to the last. It was almost perfect."
While teammate George Russell was under pressure from the Ferraris throughout the race, Antonelli simply drove away and managed everything calmly from the front. He now sits second in the championship with a genuine title shot ahead of him.
All of Italy Is Talking
Italian media gave Antonelli a perfect score of ten across the board, and Fisichella found himself pulled back into the spotlight as a result. "In Italy, everyone is talking about Kimi. Everyone is happy. I was also being called on Sunday and Monday by every journalist, every TV channel, absolutely everyone. After such a long time in Formula 1, not that they had forgotten me, but now I'm famous again."
On the question of whether this is a one-off or the start of something bigger, Fisichella had no doubts. "He'll get the chance to do it again, not just once, but many times. He has the same opportunity as Russell, and right now Mercedes have the best car. So he has a 50% chance of winning races." At 18 years old, that is a worrying thought for the rest of the grid.
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