November 4 – Bologna FC have congratulated Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the 20-year-old became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
The Mercedes driver clinched the 2026 title with third place at the Mexican Grand Prix on November 1, becoming the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Antonelli was born and raised in Bologna and is a well-known supporter of the club. The club marked the moment on social media. “From Bologna to the top of the world,” he wrote. “Bologna is proud of you, Kimi.”
He also posted a video with Riccardo Orsolini, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Tommaso Pobega and Roberto Piccoli congratulating him, with Orsolini inviting him back to town to celebrate with the team.
The relationship goes back further. Antonelli joined the city’s celebrations after Bologna won the Coppa Italia in May 2025 and has met the club’s players at Formula 1 events in Italy.
There is no commercial partnership behind it, just a local connection between a city’s football club and its most famous sporting son. It’s the kind of link that many clubs try to manufacture through sponsorship deals and ambassadorships, and Bologna naturally have it.
For a club that has grown significantly in recent seasons, with Champions League football and a first major trophy in half a century, the association with a Formula 1 world champion brings new international attention to both the club and the city.
The city also honors him. Bologna’s municipal government plans to award Antonelli the Nettuno d’Oro, one of its highest civic honors.
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