As Italy celebrated its first Formula 1 champion in 73 years, there was a note of snark aimed at the country's biggest racing brand.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was on top of the world “thanks to his talent, his car and not having raced for Ferrari,” a line on the front page of Italy's biggest sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport said.
While Antonelli partied, Ferrari descended into infighting between its drivers as the iconic team marked its 19th year in a row without a champion driver.
Here's why Antonelli wasn't wearing Ferrari red, and how Mercedes' bet on a youngster paid off after seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton left.
Amid the celebrations in Mexico on Sunday, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff turned the clock back to 2017 and his first meetings with then 11-year-old Antonelli.
That was the age when Antonelli was turned away by Ferrari and joined Mercedes and Wolff instead. The exact details of what happened are contested, but former Ferrari personnel have said he was considered too young for its development program.
“It’s incredible. We have to pinch ourselves because it seems like yesterday he was 11 years old in the garage in junior karting and it goes so fast,” Wolff told Sky Sports.
Wolff said it was “always a calculated risk, not a real risk” to give Antonelli his F1 shot for 2025 when Hamilton left for Ferrari but revealed Mercedes “had two sponsors leaving us because of that, because of, you know, ‘Who is this kid?’”
Even Antonelli has admitted he began to doubt himself in his winless and erratic rookie year. A breakthrough win in China in March started a run of five victories which left Antonelli as Mercedes' main title contender ahead of his more experienced teammate George Russell.
F1 teams are increasingly focusing on younger drivers. The Mercedes young driver mentor Gwen Lagrue, a key figure in Antonelli's development, was a high-profile hire this year for Red Bull, which also signed the 11-year-old son of Kimi Raikkonen, the last driver to win the title for Ferrari in 2007.
Antonelli is redefining how F1 fandom works in Italy after decades of support for Ferrari as a team, no matter the nationality of the driver in the cockpit.
Signing Hamilton was meant to bring Ferrari back to the top in F1, but it just hasn't happened yet.
As Antonelli and Mercedes celebrated — though without teammate George Russell, who left early — Ferrari was descending into yet another bout of the infighting which has marred the team in recent years.
Hamilton's opening-lap battle with teammate Charles Leclerc dropped him to third and got Leclerc a penalty.
“We lost valuable points we could have easily been one-two today, but your teammate works against you,” Hamilton said, adding: “something needs to change, for sure.”
Signing Hamilton was the ultimate evolution of Ferrari's decades-old blueprint for success. For decades, it's spent big on hiring the very best drivers from around the world.
When it works, it's spectacular, like Michael Schumacher's five titles in a row for Ferrari in the 2000s. Hamilton's childhood memories of “seeing Michael in the red car” played a big part in his decision to join the team, too.
With one win in two years at Ferrari, Hamilton now risks being remembered alongside other F1 greats who couldn't bring success to Italy. Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso won a combined 10 titles, but spent 13 years between them at Ferrari without winning the championship there.
For a proudly Italian team, Ferrari has often had little involvement with local talent. Founder Enzo Ferrari stopped hiring Italians after a spate of fatal crashes for the team's Italian stars in F1's early years. Only one Italian, Michele Alboreto, drove a full season for the team in the last half-century.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco walks through the pits during a halt of the session during the Mexico Grand Prix Formula One race in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Daniel Becerril/Pool Photo via AP)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates his world champion title after the Mexico Grand Prix Formula One race in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, right, congratulates Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy after he wins the Formula One world championship following the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 2, 2026--
ZF Aftermarket will make a strong statement at AAPEX 2026 with the North American debut of its new unified brand packaging design, alongside an expanded portfolio of solutions for independent workshops.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261102700825/en/
First presented at Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, ZF Aftermarket’s unified global brand and packaging approach makes it easier for workshops, distributors and fleets to recognize products, navigate the portfolio and access the right support. Rolling out in phases, the new approach strengthens the visible connection between ZF and the established LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, WABCO and TRW brands while preserving the expertise and trust each has built with customers. This future-forward strategy brings parts, diagnostics, training and digital solutions together behind one clear objective: Maximizing Uptime.
As part of ZF Group, ZF Aftermarket builds on the technology company’s original equipment expertise to serve the evolving needs of the aftermarket. By combining this expertise with a clearer, more consistent ZF brand identity across its portfolio, ZF Aftermarket gives customers easier access to the products, services and solutions they need to Maximize Uptime, while product quality, availability and established brand expertise remain unchanged.
“Our ZF brands stand for the technical expertise, performance quality and OE heritage we are proud to bring to the aftermarket. By creating a more consistent ZF brand identity across our brand portfolio, we are helping our customers make choices they can rely on and that optimize the value workshops, distributors and fleets require. It is another step in delivering holistic solutions that Maximize Uptime,” says Chris Battershell, Head of ZF Aftermarket, North America.
A Clearer Portfolio at First Sight
Consistent, unified packaging will be the most visible expression of the new approach. Introduced gradually across the portfolio, it will create a more cohesive appearance across product categories and show more clearly how ZF, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, WABCO and TRW come together as one aftermarket offering. In Mexico, BOGE remains an important, well-established brand whose strong market presence and customer recognition will continue to play a key role in ZF Aftermarket’s regional portfolio. Customers will retain the product brands they know, now with a stronger visual connection to ZF’s technology, systems knowledge and global support.
“This evolution builds on the strength and legacy of our established brands while creating a clearer, more consistent connection to ZF. The unified design will help customers recognize our portfolio more easily and understand the full breadth of expertise, services and solutions available to support their business,” says Camilla Davison, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, ZF Aftermarket.
From OE Knowledge to Everyday Results
ZF develops highly advanced dynamic systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. ZF Aftermarket translates that systems knowledge into practical support for daily operations: high-quality parts, advanced repair solutions, diagnostics, training, technical assistance and digital tools. As vehicles become more complex, this connected offer helps workshops complete repairs efficiently, distributors serve customers with confidence and fleets reduce avoidable downtime.
One Portfolio, One Clear Customer Outcome
The phased rollout supports ZF Aftermarket’s evolution from a parts supplier to an end-to-end solutions partner. A clearer brand architecture will make the portfolio easier to understand without asking customers to give up the brands they trust. By connecting those brands more directly with ZF’s OE expertise and service ecosystem, ZF Aftermarket is turning Maximizing Uptime from a promise into a more consistent customer experience.
“ZF Aftermarket is well positioned for sustained growth in North America. As we expand product coverage across key categories, we are taking a customer-centric approach that extends well beyond parts—connecting OE expertise, trusted brands, advanced services and digital capabilities through an end-to-end solutions ecosystem. The rollout of our unified brand packaging design concept, beginning in 2027, will make that broader value more visible and accessible to workshops, distributors and fleets across the region,” says Chris Battershell, Head of ZF Aftermarket, North America.
ZF leaders will be on site at AAPEX 2026 to welcome attendees to the company’s all-new display in The Forum. Bringing ZF Aftermarket’s end-to-end solutions ecosystem to life, the exhibit will showcase key products and solutions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, ZF [pro]Diagnostics, award-winning ZF [pro]Tech training, remanufacturing and the latest Chassis 2.0 technologies. Visit Booth #F13011 to meet with ZF leaders and technical experts and explore the breadth of the company’s aftermarket portfolio.
About ZF
ZF is a global technology company supplying highly advanced dynamic systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Its comprehensive product range primarily serves vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. With its products and integrated hardware and software solutions, the company helps make mobility smarter, safer and more comfortable. ZF offers a wide range of solutions for propulsion, electrification, chassis and passive safety. Alongside the automotive sector – passenger cars and commercial vehicles – ZF also serves market segments such as construction and agricultural machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, rail drives and test systems, and has a broad portfolio of aftermarket products and services.
With approximately 153,000 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €38.8 billion in 2025. The company operates 162 production locations in 29 countries.
As one of the leading companies in the aftermarket industry, ZF bridges today’s and tomorrow’s needs with products, services and ecosystem solutions for workshops, distributors and fleets. With strong OE links and a broad portfolio of trusted brands — ZF, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, WABCO and TRW — ZF Aftermarket helps customers to Maximize Uptime.
For further press information and photos, please visit: www.zf.com
Philippe Colpron, Head of ZF Aftermarket, presents the new unified packaging design concept at Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, highlighting a clearer visual connection between ZF and its trusted product brands. See the new packaging design concept firsthand at AAPEX 2026 in The Forum, Booth #F13011. Photo credits: ZF
Philippe Colpron, Head of ZF Aftermarket, presents the new unified packaging design concept at Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, highlighting a clearer visual connection between ZF and its trusted product brands. See the new packaging design concept firsthand at AAPEX 2026 in The Forum, Booth #F13011. Photo credits: ZF
