WATCH: Valentino Rossi arrives at F1 Emilia Romagna GP, greets Lando and Antonelli

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has arrived at the Imola circuit ahead of the Formula 1 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The home race of Italy will start in a few hours, and before that, the Legend himself visited the garage and greeted the drivers.

The seven-time MotoGP world champion is one of the greatest athletes in motorsports. Italy is one of the biggest nations in Motor racing. Many Italians become racing drivers, and one of those drivers is Kimi Antonelli.

The 18-year-old driver is the youngest on the 2025 F1 grid. He is from Italy’s Bologna, which is the capital of Emilia-Romagna. The place is called the Motor Valley as the world’s iconic brands like Ferrari, Ducati, Maserati, Pagani, and Lamborghini are located in this place.

Also Read: Emilia Romagna GP Pre-race predictions: Can Max Verstappen stop Oscar Piastri’s victory run?

WATCH: Lando and Antonelli meets Rossi at F1 Imola GP

Lando: “I keep all of my helmets. I think the one that means the most to me is my 2019 Rossi helmet in Monza. when I was a kid, Rossi was my hero.”

And Rossi is here in the paddock today with Lando and Kimi. 🤩#f1 #formula1 #LandoNorris #KimiAntonelli #ValentinoRossi #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/1JIQBwf6pJ

— SportsInfo Xtreme (@Sportsinfo22073) May 18, 2025

So Imola Grand Prix has some history behind it, and winning the race is a pride for drivers. Valentino Rossi has a huge fan base, and some of the F1 drivers like Lando Norris and Kimi Raikkonnen are fans of the icon. In fact, Lando’s helmet is inspired by Rossi, and Norris wants to follow his idol’s path.

Norris recently talked about his helmet collections, and he said, “I keep all of my helmets. I think the one that means the most to me is my 2019 Rossi helmet in Monza. When I was a kid, Rossi was my hero.”

Today, Rossi arrived at the Formula 1 paddock and met with both Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli. Both are huge fans of the MotoGP legend, and getting some valuable tips and advice from the legend himself will be a great help for these two youngsters. 

The Italian is under more pressure as he is racing in his first-ever home race. Though there is Monza, Imola is the real home race for Antonelli as he hails from Bologna. His qualifying was a disappointment, but we hope he makes it big in the main race.

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