Kimi Antonelli seals historic F1 title at 20

Kimi Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion on Sunday, securing the title with third place at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver finished behind race winner Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, a result that made him the sport’s 36th drivers’ champion with four races still remaining. Antonelli needed only ninth place to guarantee the championship regardless of the results of his closest rivals.

Instead, he held his composure through a race interrupted by a red flag and restart to claim his 15th podium of the season. His title ended Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest champion; Vettel was 23 years and 133 days old when he won his first championship in 2010. The achievement also made Antonelli the first Italian driver to win the Formula One title since Alberto Ascari in 1953, according to The Guardian.

It was Mercedes’ first drivers’ championship since Hamilton’s 2020 title and the team’s 10th overall, the newspaper reported. Antonelli’s campaign had been built on a powerful start. He took the championship lead after the Japanese Grand Prix, the third round of the season, and won five of the first six races.

He entered Mexico with nine victories, having failed to score points only twice because of mechanical problems. One of his most notable wins came at his home race in Monza, where he started 19th and still finished first. India Today described the drive as evidence of the confidence and maturity he had developed since arriving in Formula One.

The Guardian said he remained in control even as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull challenged Mercedes later in the season. The title represented a dramatic improvement from Antonelli’s rookie campaign. He ended his first season seventh in the standings with 150 points and three podiums, after a year that included both strong performances and mistakes.

He had joined Mercedes’ senior team after being promoted from its junior programme to replace Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari before the 2025 season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s decision to trust an inexperienced driver followed years of investment in Antonelli, who joined the team’s junior programme at 12. Wolff chose him to partner George Russell rather than replace Hamilton with an established star.

Antonelli struggled to find words over the team radio after the finish. “We did it! We did it!” he said, later crediting Mercedes and his family.

He said he was “speechless” and still trying to process the achievement. Verstappen and Hamilton joined Antonelli on the podium celebrations, lifting him into the air. The result also sets up the prospect of regular front-running battles between the new champion, Verstappen and Hamilton in 2027, according to The Guardian.