Ferrari vice chairman Piero Ferrari has said he would love to see Kimi Antonelli in a Ferrari red one day. Speaking days before the Mercedes driver gets his first chance to win the 2026 world title at the United States Grand Prix, Ferrari acknowledged that existing contracts must be respected, but the 81-year-old made no secret of his enthusiasm about a potential Antonelli move to Maranello.

Antonelli arrives in Austin as the championship leader with a commanding 102-point advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell. Should he win the US GP, and Russell finishes P9 or lower, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finishes P5 or lower, Antonelli would become the sport's youngest ever world champion at just 20 years old.

Piero Ferrari: Who wouldn't love to see Antonelli at Ferrari?

Asked by Italian outlet Quotidiano Sportivo whether Antonelli could one day drive for the Scuderia, Enzo Ferrari's son Piero pointed out that a move is not simple - the 20-year-old is still contracted to Mercedes through 2027 and is seen as a key long-term figure for the Silver Arrows - but he did nothing to play the idea down.

"Ah, so many circumstances come into play here: there are contracts to be respected, commitments already made," Ferrari said. "And then, I'm not a hypocrite; who wouldn't love to see an Italian behind the wheel of a car bearing my father's name? And I imagine that, given his roots, the boy from Bologna wouldn't mind either. Maybe one day it will happen, why not?"

The last Italian to race for Ferrari was Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009. He was brought in for the final five races of that season to replace Luca Badoer as a stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa.

Ferrari compares Antonelli to Niki Lauda

Piero Ferrari admitted that he has never met Antonelli, only that he is a "distant admirer," but has compared him to one of Maranello's greatest champions, three-time world champion Niki Lauda.

“When I think of Kimi, Niki comes to mind," said Ferrari. "And from my point of view, that is an extraordinary compliment, and obviously a thoroughly deserved one.”

He said Antonelli's maturity was what stood out most: "You see, in Formula 1, age once mattered; even a champion like Lauda arrived on the track a few years older than Antonelli. Now we live in an era where debut times are much earlier.

"Given this premise, the comparison holds true because Kimi, like Niki when he first joined Ferrari, immediately demonstrated an almost surprising maturity.

"I don't recall the Austrian making any serious mistakes when my father entrusted him with our car. Likewise, Antonelli was able to avoid the mistakes born of inexperience."

When asked whether his father, founder of Ferrari, would have liked Antonelli, he replied "Absolutely!" He also suggested that Antonelli got to grips with the 2026 rules faster than his teammate: "Kimi was amazing at immediately grasping the new technical regulations, with a mental quickness that perhaps his teammate Russell lacked."