ANTONELLI CELEBRATES F1 TITLE WITH ROSSI-INSPIRED TRICOLORE HAIR

Formula 1 world champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli has followed through on a promise to celebrate his title with a striking Italian-coloured hairstyle, arriving at Mercedes’ Brackley factory with his hair dyed red, white and green.

Mercedes shared footage of the 20-year-old greeting team members and marked the reveal with the caption: “Kimi did it. He actually did it.” The look recalls MotoGP great Valentino Rossi, one of Antonelli’s racing idols, who sported the Italian tricolour in his hair in 1998.

Antonelli had discussed the plan with La Gazzetta dello Sport after securing his first F1 crown in Mexico. He said he already had the dye cans and was weighing up whether to use them that weekend or wait until his visit to the factory. “It would be fun to turn up there with dyed hair,” he said. He has now made that appearance as Mercedes and its drivers celebrated with factory staff after returning to the UK from the American triple-header.

The title came with four races still to run, making Antonelli the youngest F1 world champion and Italy’s first drivers’ champion in 73 years. Mercedes also secured the constructors’ championship in Brazil, its first since 2021. The season is due to finish with races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Antonelli has also spoken about how he plans to mark the championship with a personal reward: a new car. He said his parents taught him to understand the value of money and still want to know how he spends his earnings. For the most part, he said, he keeps his spending simple, enjoying his home simulator, buying virtual tracks, and paying for food, household items and petrol.

Cars, however, are a temptation. “There are a couple I’d really like to buy,” he said, adding that he expects to treat himself to one after winning the title.