Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion on 1 November 2026. The Mercedes driver finished third in the Mexico City race. Max Verstappen won the race, and Lewis Hamilton finished second. Antonelli needed only ninth place to win his first world title.
Antonelli is 20 years and 68 days old. Sebastian Vettel held the old record. Vettel was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first title in 2010. Antonelli is also Italy’s first champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73-year wait.
This is Antonelli’s second year in Formula 1. He has won nine races this season and has 380 points after 19 races. No other driver can now get enough points to take the title from him. In Mexico City, he started fourth and passed Charles Leclerc to move into third place.
After the race, Antonelli thanked Mercedes, his family, his friends and his fans. He said the team had a strong car early in the season and did well throughout the year. He felt more nervous during this race weekend. Now he wants to enjoy the rest of the season.
