Is 'disruptor' Antonelli winning hearts in Italy, where Ferrari is F1?

When a Ferrari operator triumphs successful F1, the team's spiritual location of Maranello rejoices.

"It's similar the 2nd coming effectively; everyone's successful the streets singing, dancing, religion bells are ringing. It's a enactment successful the streets," says Adrian Hussain, who is simply a subordinate of the Scuderia Ferrari Club Silverstone and half-Italian.

Those celebrated bells past rung retired successful honour of a Ferrari satellite champion successful 2007, erstwhile Finn Kimi Raikkonen won his lone rubric by a azygous point.

Italy has not produced a satellite champion operator since Alberto Ascari claimed back-to-back titles for Ferrari successful 1952 and 1953. For astir Italians, seeing a rubric victor draped successful il Tricolore - for immoderate squad connected the grid - has been a imagination alternatively than a reality.

But Antonelli's ascendancy this twelvemonth has opened the doorway for Italy to clasp a caller leader - adjacent if helium does thrust for the nonstop competition.

"Antonelli is disrupting the accepted rules of fandom successful Italy," Giulia Toninelli, a writer for La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy's astir wide work sports newspaper, tells BBC Sport.

Toninelli says Antonelli's "strong personality" has won implicit the Italian public, particularly the younger fanbase. "And the information that helium is racing for Mercedes matters precise small to them."

In the fanzone astatine Monza, a household is divided. While Alessandro is decked retired successful Ferrari red, his girlfriend, Emma, is wearing the metallic of Mercedes.

"Of course, I americium a small spot of a Ferrarista due to the fact that I'm Italian. But honestly, I emotion Kimi, I enactment him," says Emma.

If Antonelli does triumph this year's satellite title, with the play finale perchance being held astatine Imola, astir 25 miles from wherever helium grew up successful Bologna, some Emma and Alessandro hold it would mean "Italy is backmost connected top".

Five-time MotoGP contention victor Marco Melandri and 2012 GP2 bid champion and F1 TV's Davide Valsecchi contiguous the Chiacchiere da Box, external (Paddock Chatter) podcast, wherever the 2 ex-racers sermon and analyse everything that's happened during F1 and MotoGP weekends.

"I deliberation Kimi is surviving the dream, adjacent of the Italian fans," says Italian Melandri. "But successful Italy, a batch of radical are precise adjacent to Ferrari, they are pushing for Ferrari. So sometimes they are warring themselves to understand, to take who is their favourite driver. But I deliberation Kimi is doing thing amazing."

Compatriot Valsecchi feels the same: "We are loving it. It's a large astonishment for everyone, knowing that an Italian driver, truthful young, is starring the championship, is driving truthful well, and is mentally truthful strong. So, astatine the moment, everything is cleanable for us."