Felipe Massa ‘convinced’ Kimi Antonelli will win multiple F1 Drivers’ Championships, but not for Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli made history at the Mexican Grand Prix, as he was crowned the youngest ever F1 Drivers’ Champion.

The Mercedes driver will now be aiming to help the team win the Constructors’ Championship this weekend in Brazil; it would be their first since 2021.

While Mercedes and Antonelli will be hopeful this season will be an indication of things to come for the pair, as they look to emulate their dominant period throughout the 2010s, Felipe Massa believes the Italian may look elsewhere to secure several Drivers’ Championships.

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Kimi Antonelli will not remain at Mercedes for the entirety of his career

The former Ferrari driver expressed to La Gazzetta dello Sport that he was pleased for the young Italian when he got his hands on the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.

Massa believes that now Antonelli has got his hands on his first title; more are sure to follow despite the quality field he has to compete against.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will be looking to build on their impressive hauls of Drivers' Championships, as they look to be viewed as the greatest F1 drivers to grace the sport.

Now, Antonelli may be part of that conversation, having won his first title at just 20 years old.

Massa believes the partnership between Antonelli and Mercedes is perfect, but believes he will eventually leave the German team to wear the red of Ferrari, where he will then add more titles for both himself and the Italian constructor.

The Brazilian said: “I'm convinced. I even told his father. I think his choice to go to Mercedes was perfect, because they did an incredible job with him and he had the opportunity to develop quickly and have everything he needed to win, under an incredible driving style like Toto Wolff's.

“I hope he stays with them to win two, three, five World Championships... and then goes to Ferrari to try to continue winning there too.”

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Felipe Massa always believed Kimi Antonelli could be World Champion

Massa has remained around the racing scene following his retirement from F1 in 2017, after his spell at Williams.

He has kept his eye on the up-and-coming talents of the sport, and he noticed a young Antonelli when he was only 13.

The Brazilian admitted that he saw something unique in Antonelli while he was racing on the karting circuit.

While he did not outright admit that he would be a world champion after seeing his performance, he knew that the Italian was a huge prospect and one to watch for the future.

Now, Massa has been proven correct, as he said: “I've known him since he was 13, when he was still racing karts. He was always a humble, respectable, and very nice guy, but then when he got behind the wheel, he had something different, something unique."