Italian papers hail Antonelli’s title and turn their criticism on Ferrari

Corriere della Sera’s post-Mexico report card made the contrast plain: Kimi Antonelli received 110 e lode, while Charles Leclerc got a five. The incident between Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the start was at the centre of the criticism aimed at Ferrari.

Corriere criticized Leclerc’s haste to move forward, while acknowledging that taking the lead immediately can matter at the circuit; a long race still had to be managed. Lewis Hamilton received 7+. The paper said his frustration at not winning after taking pole was understandable, but questioned whether he was useful to Ferrari. Hamilton had said after the race that victory had been stolen from him.

Antonelli’s title drew the other kind of response. La Gazzetta dello Sport called the 20-year-old Formula 1’s youngest world champion and credited his success to talent and methodical work focused on extracting speed from the car. It also praised his ability to recover after mistakes. Corriere highlighted his development during the season, his ability to handle pressure and his modest, approachable personality.

Corriere also gave Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur a five. The paper was unimpressed by his post-race rebuke after he said his drivers had shown no respect for the people working at Ferrari; it asked whether he should have contained tensions it said had been visible during the season. La Gazzetta also said Ferrari still had matters to resolve internally.