Antonelli swaps Silverstone heartbreak for Wimbledon with Federer 24 hours later

Kimi Antonelli turned a miserable British Grand Prix weekend into a memorable Monday, appearing at Wimbledon’s Centre Court alongside Roger Federer just 24 hours after being classified 15th at Silverstone.

The Mercedes driver, who leads the Formula 1 championship, watched Jannik Sinner compete at the All England Club with the eight-time Grand Slam winner by his side — a pairing that quickly caught the attention of fans across social media.

“My worlds colliding. Really love how Kimi is becoming a tennis fan. Already noticed him supporting Sinner regularly from the stands and via Instagram,” one fan wrote on Reddit. Others were equally envious of the 18-year-old’s lifestyle. “He’s living the best life… I’d give a friend’s left arm to watch Wimbledon with Fed,” posted another, while a third added: “Damn, what a life he has got right now. At Wimbledon, sitting next to one of the legends of the game itself!”

The Wimbledon visit came on the back of one of Antonelli’s most frustrating weekends of the season. He had arrived at Silverstone with momentum, winning the sprint race from second on the grid behind seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, before claiming pole position for the grand prix itself.

After losing the lead to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the start, Antonelli appeared to be tracking the pace needed to challenge for victory — until a dislodged wheel shield left him fighting steering problems and struggling to keep the car on track. A subsequent five-second track limits penalty compounded his troubles, dropping him to 15th in the final classification.

“Not the way I wanted this weekend to end,” Antonelli wrote on Instagram. “I was very happy with my pace and trying to get P1, until the car had an issue and became difficult to drive. I tried until the end to get that one point and avoid retiring. Such a shame we ended up having that 5-second penalty.”

Despite the setback, the Italian remained defiant. “Days like this make the fire burn even more and make me hungrier to get after it on the next one,” he added, also thanking the Silverstone crowd for their support throughout the weekend.

Antonelli still holds the championship lead heading into the next round, though the points gap will have narrowed after a race he had been well-placed to win.