Who is Valentino Rossi? All about Italian Motorsport legend Kimi Antonelli shared pictures with recently

Recently, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, and, in the past, Lewis Hamilton shared frames with Valentino Rossi. While there is hardly any doubt over the fame Hamilton, Norris, or lately Antonelli holds, some often wonder about who Rossi is. In today's article, we will delve deeper into who Valentino Rossi is, why he is so popular.

Born in Urbino, Italy back on 16 February 1979, Rossi is the son of former motorcycle racers Graziano Rossi and his wife Stefania. At a very young age, he began riding and karting.

In 1993, Rossi began competing in motorcycle championships, and by 2012, he went on to become one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time. Nicknamed The Doctor, he has seven MotoGP titles to his name, along with one 250cc and one 125cc title each.

Rossi registered 372 MotoGP entries to his name; here, he claimed 89 wins, 199 podiums, and 55 pole positions. In 250cc, he has 14 wins, followed by 125 cc, where he has 12 wins.

Besides racing motorcycles, Valentino Rossi also participated in FIA World Endurance Championships, Monza Rally Show, and Gulf 12 Hours, among many others. Currently, he also owns and manages the VR46 Racing Team, which competes in MotoGP in 2025.

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When Valentino Rossi advised Kimi Antonelli ahead of his rookie season

In April this year, Kimi Antonelli met Valentino Rossi, and this was when the seven-time MotoGP champion shared some advice for the rookie F1 driver. Speaking about this, here's what Rossi told Antonelli, as shared by the latter:

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team driver #12 Kimi Antonelli (ITA) waves to his fans in the rain at the 2025 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, round 18 of the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, on October 4, 2025 - Source: Getty

"I mean, he's such a cool dude. We had some good laughs, and he told me some stories from when he was racing in MotoGP, some funny ones as well that I can't really tell now. But you know he's such a cool guy," Antonelli said about Rossi. "First of all, he's been really supportive, about the start and what he's been telling me also the karting, you know, just to keep going at this, and enjoy. And especially focus on myself and not worrying about the rest, you know, enjoying the process and then yeah, then stay focused." "So yeah, definitely, you know, he's a really cool guy, and he's someone I will look up to as well because he's such a great figure in the sport as well. It's also so nice from him that he's been so supportive from that side," he further added. (Via Motorsport.com)

Kimi Antonelli joined Mercedes this season and replaced Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. He joined to race alongside George Russell, and is currently in P7 in the Drivers' Championship with 88 points.

Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas