Tomorrow, Andrea Kimi Antonelli could rewrite a piece of Italian motorsport history. But do you remember the last time an Italian driver won in Formula 1?
It may sound unbelievable, but it’s true: to find the last victory by an Italian driver in F1 you have to go back almost twenty years. It was March 19, 2006, when Giancarlo Fisichella triumphed at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang International Circuit driving for Renault F1 Team. Since that day, Italy has not celebrated one of its own drivers on the top step of the podium.
It is a surprisingly long drought for a country that has written – and continues to write – fundamental chapters in the history of motorsport and Formula 1. In the meantime, generations of drivers, technical regulations and cars have all changed, but that statistic has remained the same.
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Now, however, in 2026 the story could finally change. Tomorrow, at the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli will start from pole position with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team for the first time in his career.
Fisichella’s legacy
Fisichella’s 2006 win remains one of the last great moments for Italian drivers in the category. The Roman driver dominated the race, starting from pole position and controlling the event at Sepang ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso and the Honda Racing F1 Team driven by Jenson Button.
That season would later become Alonso’s second consecutive world championship, while Fisichella collected a few more podiums and finished a respectable fourth in the drivers’ standings. However, since that victory, no Italian driver has managed to win again in Formula 1.
Kimi, a new Italian hope
The Shanghai International Circuit is a technical track, well suited to a talent like Antonelli, where energy deployment strategy and tyre management often play a decisive role. Despite the strong starts expected from Scuderia Ferrari, starting from pole position could give the young Italian a crucial advantage — especially on a circuit where track position can be key in the early stages of the race.
Exactly 3,700 days later, Italy might finally return to the top step of the Formula 1 podium.
Photo: BWT Alpine F1 Team
