F1: Antonelli between humility and future 'I will race with number 12, Senna is my reference'

"I'll stay with 12: it's a way for me to keep my feet on the ground. Keeping 12 for me is like a new starting point, in which to rebuild and try to replicate. It's a way to stay focused for next year."

Only a few hours after making history in Mexico City, Kimi Antonelli confides in an interview with Sky, already talking about the future, his legends in Formula 1 and the fact that he will not race with the number one reserved for world champions.

"Have I achieved what I've done? I'm starting to realise. The last lap was really emotional, I completely dropped the pace because I had tears in my eyes. I could hardly see the track. It was really emotional and it still is now. An incredible moment, especially being able to share it with my family, with my team and with my friends."

Antonelli then spoke about the relationship with his legend, Senna.

"Ayrton will always remain a model of inspiration, not only as a driver but also as a person. This year, many times, I looked back at a lot of his interviews to understand a little about how he approached the races and the year. He will always be, together with my family, a point of reference." Then Antonelli talks about the podium shared with Hamilton and Verstappen. "I'll frame it and put it on my wall in my house. It was incredible. It's those moments that will stay with you for a lifetime."

Speaking of the new generations, the Mercedes world champion realizes that he is a stimulus: "One thing they taught me is to try to remain yourself. It doesn't matter how successful you are, where you are and where you race. The very important thing is to always stay with your feet on the ground and enjoy these moments too. Here there is also a wonderful group of guys who have a very important role in achieving this goal. Special thanks - adds Antonelli - also go to them: people see more of us on the track and don't see everything behind it, but I guarantee you that the work these guys do is incredible." When did you say: 'The World Cup can be ours'? "After Monza. It was an incredible season, we were very consistent. Now we will try to finish well: there are still races to go and it would be nice to end with some good results in view of 2027."

He finished by talking about when he got his driving licence: "Was it more difficult to get the licence, the diploma or win the Formula 1 World Championship? The World Championship... without a doubt, out of the question. It's not easy, especially this weekend in terms of emotions it wasn't easy. I had a lot of butterflies in my stomach, but I'm really happy that we made it.

Forza Italia, always."