Ascari’s daughter says Hamilton was unlucky to join Ferrari and doubts team will win again
News Summary
- Patrizia Ascari, daughter of two-time Formula 1 world champion Alberto Ascari, has declared that she does not believe Ferrari will win again, delivering a scathing assessment of the Italian team.
- She expressed sympathy for Lewis Hamilton, who had been her favourite driver before Andrea Kimi Antonelli, suggesting his move to Ferrari had turned out badly.
- Ascari celebrated Antonelli’s historic 2026 championship, arguing that the 20-year-old was fortunate to join Mercedes rather than the team with which her father won two world titles.
Patrizia Ascari, daughter of Ferrari’s two-time Formula 1 world champion Alberto Ascari, has delivered a damning assessment of the Italian manufacturer, declaring that she does not believe Ferrari will ever win again and expressing sympathy for Lewis Hamilton’s difficult experience at Maranello. Speaking to Italian newspaper Il Giornale after Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 world championship in Mexico, she suggested that the young Italian had been fortunate to develop his career with Mercedes instead.
Her comments carry considerable historical significance. Alberto Ascari won the Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari in 1952 and 1953, remaining Italy’s most recent Formula 1 world champion for 73 years until Antonelli’s triumph on Sunday (November 1).
Ascari sympathises with Hamilton and delivers harsh Ferrari verdict
Patrizia revealed that Hamilton had been her favourite Formula 1 driver before Antonelli emerged as Italy’s new champion.
However, she believes the seven-time world champion made an unfortunate career move when he joined Ferrari in 2025.
“Poor thing, he ended up at Ferrari. Things turned out badly for him,” she told Il Giornale, in comments translated from Italian.
Her assessment of the team’s future was even more emphatic.
“Ferrari will never win again,” Ascari declared.
She also suggested that Antonelli had been fortunate to find a place at Mercedes rather than joining the Italian manufacturer.
The comments come at a particularly difficult moment for Ferrari, which failed to convert its strongest opportunity of the 2026 season into victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Hamilton secured pole position, but an opening-lap battle with teammate Charles Leclerc compromised the team’s race.
The British driver eventually finished second behind Max Verstappen, while Leclerc took fourth.
Hamilton subsequently criticised Leclerc’s approach to racing, arguing that their confrontation had cost Ferrari the opportunity to win.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur also described the missed victory as disrespectful, highlighting the work carried out by the manufacturer’s employees.
Antonelli ends Italy’s 73-year championship wait
While critical of Ferrari, Patrizia was enthusiastic about Antonelli’s achievement.
The Mercedes driver became Formula 1’s youngest world champion after finishing third at the Mexican Grand Prix, securing the title in only his second season.
Ascari praised the Italian’s personality and the positive impression he has made on supporters.
“It’s fantastic. Kimi is lovely, friendly, young and smiling,” she said.
She added that she could not imagine anyone disliking the new champion, describing his achievement as magnificent.
The historical connection with Alberto Ascari has attracted considerable attention in Italy, particularly because the former Ferrari driver remains the only Italian to have won multiple Formula 1 Drivers’ Championships.
Patrizia, however, was less interested in symbolic comparisons between the two drivers.
Asked about Antonelli overtaking at the Ascari corner during the Italian Grand Prix, she dismissed the significance attached to the coincidence.
She suggested that such stories were appealing narratives rather than something she considered especially meaningful.
Ascari recalls her father’s relationship with Enzo Ferrari
Patrizia also discussed her father’s career and his relationship with Enzo Ferrari.
She explained that she had never personally met the Ferrari founder and rejected the idea that he had been a close family friend.
According to Patrizia, the family’s closest connections within motorsport included Giuseppe Farina and particularly Luigi Villoresi.
She recalled that Villoresi had spoken critically about Enzo Ferrari, giving her an unfavourable impression of the manufacturer’s founder.
However, she stressed that her own memories of Alberto Ascari were primarily those of a father rather than a racing champion.
Patrizia was only eight years old when Alberto died in a testing accident at Monza on May 26, 1955.
She remembered him as cheerful and affectionate, although his racing commitments meant that he spent considerable time away from home.
She also recalled his superstitious nature, including his strong dislike of certain songs that he believed brought bad luck.
Antonelli’s title revives memories of Alberto Ascari
Antonelli’s championship has brought renewed attention to Alberto Ascari’s achievements and his place in Italian sporting history.
The former Ferrari driver won 13 championship Grands Prix and claimed consecutive world titles in 1952 and 1953.
Patrizia admitted that she had received numerous requests for interviews following Antonelli’s triumph, although she questioned what new information she could provide about a father who died when she was so young.
She also expressed nostalgia for the atmosphere of earlier Formula 1 eras, particularly the sound of the cars and the accessibility of racing circuits.
Nowadays, she follows selected events, including Monaco and Monza, rather than watching every Grand Prix in full.
Nevertheless, Antonelli’s championship has given her a new reason to celebrate Italian motorsport.
The 20-year-old will make his first appearance as world champion at the São Paulo Grand Prix on November 6–8, where he plans to honour Ayrton Senna with a special helmet.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
