Kimi Antonelli has cemented his place in history, becoming the youngest Formula 1 world champion at the age of 20. The Italian driver secured the title with four races left in the season after a composed third-place finish at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Antonelli is the first Italian to claim the sport’s crown since Alberto Ascari in 1953, marking a significant milestone for both the driver and Mercedes, which celebrates its 10th drivers’ championship and its first since Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 victory.
The race itself was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, followed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. The event was characterized by high-intensity racing and internal friction at Ferrari, particularly between Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc, who finished fourth, had been investigated for cutting turn four while attempting to pass Hamilton for the lead. Stewards ultimately handed Leclerc a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off-track, a decision that left Hamilton visibly frustrated. Hamilton remarked, “The problem is he’s got clean air and doesn’t have to manage like the rest of us. He should just give the place back. The stewards are basically handing Charles this win.”
A red flag was deployed following a heavy crash involving Valtteri Bottas at turn one. During the subsequent restart, Hamilton moved into second place, and Antonelli claimed third, securing the points necessary to mathematically seal the world championship. Upon finishing, the two veteran drivers, Hamilton and Verstappen, hoisted the young champion onto their shoulders in celebration.
Antonelli’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, praised the achievement, noting, “It is a very special day, a young man has broken the record for the youngest world champion. It is the first of many I reckon, I am just super happy for him, stoked.” Reflecting on his victory, a visibly moved Antonelli described the moment as one he would remember forever.
The season has been a display of remarkable dominance for Antonelli, who took the championship lead after the third round in Japan. Throughout the campaign, he secured nine victories and failed to score points on only two occasions, both due to mechanical failures. Despite intense competition from Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull, and internal pressure from teammate George Russell, Antonelli maintained his lead, including a notable victory from 19th on the grid at his home race in Monza. This championship serves as a vindication of the faith Mercedes placed in the Bologna native, whom they recruited into their young driver program at age 12.
He brought what has been a hugely successful campaign to a close as the sport’s 36th world champion at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in only his second season in F1 and with four meetings still to go. Sebastian Vettel was the previous youngest winner of the drivers’ championship, aged 23 in 2010, when Antonelli was
The victory might be something of cold comfort to Verstappen given Antonelli secured the title, but comfort it will be to the Dutch driver and his team who will be buoyed by what was a hugely impressive run from fifth on the grid as they look to enter next season strongly. It has set up the mouthwatering prospect of V
