Domenicali: Antonelli has all the qualities that I appreciate.

      The Bahrain Grand Prix was the first stage of the season in which Kimi Antonelli failed to finish in the top ten, and in the previous three stages, the Mercedes debutant scored points very confidently and takes 6th place in the individual championship standings.

      At the same time, he is only two points behind Charles Leclair, but five ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who has been driving for Ferrari since this year.

      Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali was asked in an interview with Italian Radio Rai if Antonelli was likely to become a Scuderia driver in the future.

      "Is Kimi Antonelli in a Ferrari? An Italian driver would then be driving an Italian car, and we really need a driver right now who would be an example for the younger generation," Domenicali replied. – That would be great, but I don't think Toto Wolff will agree to that yet. Besides, Kimi needs to be given the opportunity to develop, but he is an exceptionally gifted guy, and he has all the qualities that I really appreciate.

      When he shows up in the paddock with his family and leads his younger sister by the hand, it gives our sport a kind of romantic dimension. And then he lowers the visor on his helmet and shows great speed! I don't think we should rush to compare him with the champions, it's better to wait for that, but Kimi will definitely become one of the heroes of the motorsport world."

      Then the topic of Hamilton was raised in the conversation, because so far the affairs of the seven-time world champion in his new team are not going perfectly.

      "When Lewis joined Ferrari, it was the most difficult sporting challenge for him,– Domenicali stressed. – He is a seven-time world champion and is in the final stages of his incredibly successful career. He wants to achieve something that no one else has been able to achieve before, so he accepted this challenge.

      It's not easy to achieve victories right away, but I believe in him, because the source of his perseverance is faith in the team, that he will grow with it, and this gives him strength. I prefer to keep a positive attitude, although it's clear that it's not easy. In addition, Charles Leclair is a great racer and will not miss the opportunity to show that he is stronger.

      There are extremely interesting processes going on in the Ferrari team right now, and this is good for the whole Formula 1 world. Although I cannot afford to make any judgments, it seems to me that the Scuderia is not much inferior to the leaders now. The only advice I could give Frederick Wasser – and I contact him every day – is this: we must continue to work hard, while trying to pay less attention to the natural pressure that the person who leads this team will always experience.

      I am convinced that Ferrari will achieve more victories this year, and we will see it soon. This season, the gaps are so small that a lot depends on the smallest nuances. Ferrari is a unique team, and Lewis Hamilton and I have already had a conversation about this topic: he has already realized what it means when a champion like him wears a red uniform."