Kimi Antonelli Seals F1 Title at Age 20
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver became the youngest world champion in the sport's 73-year history after finishing third in Mexico City.
By Marta Gray ·
Formula 1 has seen many drivers claim the world championship, but none before a driver turned 23. That mark fell on Sunday in Mexico City.
Kimi Antonelli, 20, secured the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' title after crossing the finish line in third place at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The victory belonged to Max Verstappen, who claimed his sixth win in the Mexican capital. Lewis Hamilton finished second.
Antonelli's title was mathematically locked in with four races remaining on the calendar. This achievement made him the youngest champion in the history of the sport. The previous record holder was Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title at age 23 in 2010.
Antonelli also became the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. He established an unassailable lead in the standings over his teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
On the team radio, Antonelli's voice cracked as he confirmed the result. He said, "We did it, we did it." He added, "Thank you so much, we did it, we did it, thank you so much .. thank you."
At the end of the race, the 20-year-old reflected on the season. "I would not be here, without Mercedes and my family, I am speechless just trying to process this," Antonelli said. "It has been an incredible season."
Stefano Domenicali, the chief executive officer of Formula 1, praised the achievement. "For 73 years, our country has waited for this moment, and today an entire nation will celebrate one of its own reaching the very pinnacle of our sport," Domenicali said. He stated that a new chapter in history had been written.
The race itself was disrupted by a crash involving Valtteri Bottas. On lap 46, Bottas hit the wall at the first corner after issues with his right-side suspension. A red flag stopped the race. Cadillac reported that Bottas received further medical assessments as a precaution. He exited his car unaided and waved to fans before leaving the track.
When the race restarted, Verstappen led, followed by Charles Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Lando Norris, and Russell. Verstappen maintained his lead to secure the win. Hamilton had started from pole position but lost it on the fourth lap while battling Leclerc. Hamilton went off track, dropping to third. The stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty for the maneuver. Hamilton called the decision unfair on the radio.
Aston Martin had a difficult weekend. Fernando Alonso retired early due to an engine issue. His teammate Lance Stroll exited the race on the seventh lap. Alonso said, "I was just told to retire the car due to an engine issue. I’m not sure what happened. The car was fine during the first practice sessions, then it failed in qualifying, and now it’s happened again. We had reliability issues at the worst possible time."
After the Mexico City event, the Formula 1 schedule moves to Brazil and then to Las Vegas. The status of the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remains uncertain due to instability in the region.
