Italy has a new sporting king, and even Giorgia Meloni bows to him

Italy has waited a very long time for a new motorsport star. Now Andrea Kimi Antonelli is rapidly becoming the country's first name in Formula 1, with even Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni bowing to his rise.

The young driver, who turned 20 a few days ago, claimed his seventh victory of the season at Monza. The win ended a six-decade drought for Italy at the country's famous “temple of speed”: the last Italian Formula 1 driver to win there was Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

Antonelli's achievement was even more striking because he started the race from 19th place on the grid. After decades without a homegrown Formula 1 star, Italy is now asking whether the world championship could finally return home.

The article places that hope against a long wait. In motorcycle racing, Valentino Rossi was the last great Italian star, while Formula 1 fans have had to look much further back. With Antonelli's emergence, the country that produced Francesco Bernoulli in the animated film Cars has a real driver commanding attention on the international stage.