Kimi Antonelli could have begun his Formula 1 career with Ferrari much earlier. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, former president of the Italian team and currently a McLaren consultant, disclosed the backstory in an interview with As. According to Montezemolo, Ferrari had the option to incorporate Antonelli in its young driver program when he was still a child, but then-team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was against it. "Kimi is a remarkable man, humble, down-to-earth, and psychologically strong. What I regret is that Ferrari had the option to sign him but chose not to. I assigned Massimo Rivola to lead the 'young driver team'. Well, he already had Antonelli at Ferrari, but Maurizio Arrivabene said no. Why? Too young". Antonelli then took a different path, joining the Mercedes program and entering Formula 1 without the pressure of representing Italy's most famous team from the start. For Montezemolo, this may ultimately have worked in the driver’s favour: "A great opportunity was missed, but it’s almost better this way for Antonelli". The former Ferrari president points out how an early debut with the Reds may have put him under a lot of pressure. With Mercedes, however, the Italian driver had more time to adjust to the category and make progress. Montezemolo, however, is concerned about Ferrari's current condition. "Ferrari does not win, but it is also uncompetitive. It's difficult to understand that we're no longer there—not even close. They need to consider why". The former president stated that "today, looking from the outside, it's clear that leadership is lacking". Montezemolo cites Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda, Fernando Alonso, and Ayrton Senna as great drivers he worked with, adding Ayrton Senna as a champion he would have liked to bring to Maranello: "Then there was a certain Ayrton Senna: he wanted to come to Ferrari and we wanted to hire him; he was my forbidden dream". According to Montezemolo, the best driver in the sport right now is Max Verstappen. The former Ferrari president finally paid tribute to Schumacher, with whom he shared the team's most successful years: "I miss him so much". Montezemolo claimed he still interacts with the German's wife, Corinna, and reflected on the seven-time world champion's connection with the team: "I love Michael very much; he was an exceptional champion, committed to the team and not at all an individualist."