The Pope, a 69-year conspiracy theory and why Antonelli is not driving for Ferrari

The Daily Telegraph · Tom Cary · 2026-11-06 06:30 UTC

The 1957 Mille Miglia tragedy casts a long shadow over the Scuderia, but reasons for failing to nurture a native champion are more nuanced

Kimi Antonelli ended a 73-year wait for an Italian F1 champion but Ferrari have not produced one since Pope Pius XII supposedly told the team to stop hiring Italian drivers

Tom has been Senior Sports Correspondent at the Telegraph since 2020, having previously held a variety of specialist roles including F1 Correspondent and Cycling Correspondent. Recognised multiple times by the SJA, he has covered everything from the Olympics to the America’s Cup via the Ryder Cup. Tom can be contacted at [email protected] and on X @tomcary_tel.

Published 06 November 2026 6:30am GMT

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