Italy has not produced a Formula 1 world champion since Alberto Ascari claimed the title back in 1953, a wait now stretching beyond seven decades.
That historic gap forms the backdrop to growing speculation surrounding Kimi Antonelli, the sport’s youngest-ever champion, who currently races under the Mercedes banner.
Rubens Barrichello, who spent six seasons alongside Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, believes the pull of the Scuderia will eventually prove irresistible for the 20-year-old Italian.
The Brazilian veteran, now 54, was effusive in his praise for the reigning champion, stating simply: “I really like him.”
Barrichello suggested Antonelli’s title win carried a particular emotional weight for Italian fans who have endured such a lengthy wait for another drivers’ championship.
When pushed on whether he genuinely expects Antonelli to one day make the switch to Maranello, Barrichello was unequivocal in his response.
“I think so. Every driver’s dream at some point in their career is to race for Ferrari. And I think Kimi, as an Italian, is even more fascinated by this than other drivers.”
Antonelli, for his part, has repeatedly played down the Ferrari talk, pointing to the deep loyalty he feels toward the team that has supported him since he was just eleven years old.
The young champion has made clear he cannot currently imagine walking away from Mercedes, the team he chose as his racing home at the age of twelve.
Whether that loyalty holds as his career matures and Ferrari’s appeal grows louder remains a question the sport will keep asking throughout what promises to be a long and celebrated career.
Barrichello also turned his attention to the new generation of Brazilian talent now competing at the top level, welcoming the presence of Gabriel Bortoleto and Rafael Camara on the Formula 1 grid.
The veteran was quick to remind fans of his own place in Brazilian motorsport history, noting that the last victory by a Brazilian in F1 was his own triumph at Monza in 2009.