Domenicali hails Antonelli as F1 trumpets record crowds

LONDON, July 29 : Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali heaped praise on teenager Kimi Antonelli on Wednesday as the sport gave itself a glowing half-term report, with sold-out races and booming viewing figures in key markets.Liberty Media-owned Formula One said all 11 races this year had been sold out and six circuits had broken attendance records, with Britain's Silverstone recording by far the biggest weekend crowd of 564,000.Nearly 3.7 million people had attended race weekends compared to 3.4 million at the same races in 2025, with Japan showing an increase of 18 per cent and Britain 13 per cent.Television audiences in Italy, home of Mercedes' championship leader Antonelli as well as a resurgent Ferrari, were up 27 per cent on 2025 over the nine rounds through the British Grand Prix. 19-