Bologna have invited Kimi Antonelli to join their celebrations after the Mercedes driver became Formula 1 world champion, continuing a connection with his hometown club that began in childhood.
Antonelli, 20, became the youngest world champion in F1 history in Mexico on Sunday. He is also the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Bologna congratulated the driver on his achievement and asked him to celebrate with the Rossoblu. Antonelli has long been a supporter of the club and remains a regular visitor to the Dall’Ara.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Antonelli once hoped to become a professional footballer. He played as a striker during his childhood, although he admitted that his game was based more on endurance than technical ability.
“I ran a lot on the pitch too. Let’s say I just ran,” he joked in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
His father, Marco, took him to watch Bologna when he was young, and Antonelli has continued to attend matches. He was in the stands for the club’s 2-0 victory over Como in February 2025.
His first football idol was Lionel Messi, however, and Antonelli supported Barcelona during the Argentine forward’s peak years.
Bologna’s most recent major success also gave Antonelli another chance to celebrate with the club. When they defeated Milan to win the Coppa Italia in May 2025, ending a 51-year wait for the trophy, Antonelli was preparing for the Imola Grand Prix and could not travel to Rome for the final.
Instead, he joined supporters celebrating in the streets of Bologna.
That same weekend, a Bologna delegation visited Antonelli in the Imola paddock. The group was led by then-manager Vincenzo Italiano and captain Lorenzo De Silvestri, who presented the driver with a signed Bologna shirt.
Antonelli returned the gesture by giving them a Mercedes shirt.
