Why Udinese and Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye awarded F1 star Antonelli at Silverstone

Why Udinese and Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye awarded F1 star Antonelli at Silverstone Serie A and Formula 1 fans were left surprised when Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye presented Kimi Antonelli with the Pole Position Award on Saturday, but the Nigeria international’s appearance at Silverstone was far from a coincidence. Udinese goalkeeper Okoye made an unusual appearance at the F1 British Grand Prix in Silverstone on Saturday, awarding Kimi Antonelli after the Italian star secured yet another Pole Position. Okoye awards Antonelli at Silverstone As reported by Gazzetta , Okoye is a big F1 fan and is a guest of Pirelli at Silverstone this weekend. Therefore, the Udinese star was picked by the Italian multinational tyre manufacturer to present Antonelli with the Pirelli Pole Position Award title on Saturday. UDINE, ITALY – MAY 17: Maduka Okoye of Udinese looks on during the warm up ahead of the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and US Cremonese at Stadio Friuli on May 17, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images) SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 28: Pole position qualifier Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team in the Drivers Press Conference during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 28, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Just like tennis star Jannik Sinner, Antonelli is dominating  the headlines in Italy , quickly becoming one of the country’s most popular sportsmen. Gazzetta notes that Okoye’s popularity on social media has also increased considerably in recent weeks, with the Nigerian going from 250,000 to over 1.5 million Instagram followers and surpassing one million TikTok followers.