Italian F1 star Kimi Antonelli has vowed to try and bring sporting glory to his country after a recent heartbreak.

The Italian teenager currently leads the drivers’ championship after back-to-back grand prix victories in China and Japan, and he’s the youngest ever driver to have topped the F1 drivers’ championship standings.

His most recent victory in Japan, however, came in the same week as an Italian sporting nightmare.

The national football team failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the third World Cup in a row that they have not qualified for.

Italy won the 2020 European Championships, but have struggled in terms of European qualification groups for World Cups.

Their underperformance has not been lost on Antonelli, who is determined to do his country proud by continuing to be victorious in F1 as the 2026 season progresses.

“Obviously, it’s a shame we’re not going to the World Cup this year,” Antonelli told Tuttosport. “I have wonderful memories of the European Championships.

“I remember being at the European Championship race in Naples, in Sarno, and after winning the race, my mother and I rushed to the car and drove home as quickly as possible because we wanted to watch the European Championship final.

“That was a wonderful time, because seeing the national team play in the European Championships was truly beautiful.

“Obviously, I was really disappointed not to see the national team qualify for the World Cup. It’s one more reason to try to continue to bring Italy to the top in my field.”

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Can Antonelli bring Italy the championship?

While Italian football fans are likely in despair at their country’s failure, Italian F1 fans are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, with Antonelli and Ferrari performing so well in F1 2026.

Italy has not had a serious contender for the drivers’ championship arguably since Alberto Ascari won it back in 1953.

Riccardo Patrese came a very distant second in the 1992 standings, while 1978 world champion Mario Andretti was born in Italy but was a US citizen and represented the US when racing in the sport.

Antonelli has the tools to become world champion, with Mercedes the dominant team in 2026, but time will tell as to whether he can sustain a challenge all-season long against his much more experienced team-mate George Russell, and with the Ferraris and McLarens closing behind.

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Qualifying for the first round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe took place today (Saturday, April 11) with F1 star Lance Stroll taking to the track with Aston Martin ahead of the main night race.

The Canadian driver made his GT3 debut at Paul Ricard, piloting the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Comtoyou Racing on Saturday, alongside team-mates Roberto Merhi and Mari Boya.

The F1 2026 campaign is currently undergoing an enforced break after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were both cancelled due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with Stroll taking advantage of his newfound free time by making a series switch.

Qualifying at Paul Ricard was split into three sessions (Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2 and Qualifying 3), with Merhi, Stroll and Boya splitting driving duties across the sessions in the PRO class.

The Canadian F1 star revealed lofty ambitions ahead of qualifying in the South of France, stating his belief that he and his Comtoyou Racing squad could even compete for the win, something his Aston Martin F1 team have been far from doing so far after a disastrous start to the 2026 campaign.

But after the 27-year-old’s qualifying stint, the *No.18 Aston Martin sat down in P19, with the trio only able to improve up to P15, where they will start Saturday’s six-hour event from.

Though four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen will not be competing at Paul Ricard or at the Nurburgring for the NLS3 race this weekend, his Verstappen Racing team qualified P8 thanks to Dani Juncadella, Chris Lulham and Jules Gounon in the **No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi was also in play on Saturday, with his Team WRT qualifying in P11 after taking to the track in a BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

See the top 20 combined qualifying classification below.

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GT World Challenge Europe Qualifying Results: Paul Ricard 2026

How to watch Stroll’s GT3 race

You can watch Stroll’s GT racing exploits right here on GPFans, with the below stream set to go live at around 17:30 (CEST) 16:30 (BST) on Saturday, April 11 for the main event.

Alternatively, you can catch all the action on the GTWorld YouTube channel or on the GT World Challenge website.

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2025 F1 world champion Lando Norris has been spotted at a football match this week, with his ex-girlfriend Magui Corceiro.

Portuguese actress and fashion model Corceiro had been Norris’ partner since May 2023, regularly appearing at race weekends and celebrating his 2025 world championship victory at the Abu Dhabi GP last December.

But, following that championship victory, it was reported in early 2026 that the couple had separated, although those rumours were never confirmed.

Now, Norris has been spotted with Corceiro at a football match in Corceiro’s home country of Portugal.

The pair were spotted in the crowd at Sporting CP’s Champions League last-16 first leg tie against Arsenal at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon on Tuesday night.

Corceiro posted the stadium on her Instagram story, with a picture of the two teams lining up for the Champions League anthem, while the pair were also pictured together.

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Who is Magui Corceiro?

The glare of the publicity focused on Corceiro has ramped up significantly during the past 12 months.

Since the age of 17, she has starred in Portuguese television dramas and even their own version of Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the Stars) during the 2020 series.

As a model, she has featured on the cover of Vogue Portugal and has worked with high-profile brands such as Intimissimi, Alo Yoga and Kerastase.

Corceiro also co-founded the eco-conscious swimwear brand Missu, and was named by Forbes as the most influential person on Instagram in Portugal.

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