Kimi Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion at 20 years and 68 days after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, securing the 2026 drivers’ title for Mercedes.
His podium finish gave him an unassailable 119-point lead in the championship with four races remaining. He surpassed Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first title in 2010.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finishing second. Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell came sixth.
Antonelli, who was visibly emotional after crossing the finish line, thanked his team and family over the radio.
“We made it. Thanks a lot,” he said.
“I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened,” Antonelli later told the crowd.
This win also made him the first Italian driver to win the Formula One drivers’ championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
The title comes in Antonelli’s second season in Formula One, as Mercedes celebrate their first drivers’ title since Hamilton’s victory in 2020.
