Kimi Antonelli is F1's youngest ever champion
We all think we're the greatest driver in the world at 20 - now Kimi actually is
Kimi Antonelli has made F1 history by claiming the world championship at just 20 years and 68 days old. His third place finish at yesterday’s Mexico Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, was enough to secure the championship with four races remaining. As if winning the drivers’ title in just your second season wasn’t impressive enough…
The Mercedes-AMG F1 driver began Sunday’s race in P4, and had moved up into P3 before a safety car following a crash for Valtteri Bottas. Having lost a place in the pits, Antonelli passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for third once more, where he finished - his 17th podium of the season in only the 19th race. The Italian’s dominance of the season, even allowing for the competitiveness of the Mercedes in 2026, surely belies his youth. The maturity and the racecraft, after an erratic debut season, has been deeply impressive.
Predictably, the league table of youngest ever champs is littered with storied names, with Kimi now way out in front. Previously the top spot was held by Sebastian Vettel, who took the 2010 championship at 23 years and 134 days; Lewis Hamilton was 23 years and 300 days when he won in 2008, also in his second full season. Fernando Alonso’s 2005 championship came when he was 24 years and 57 days, Max was 24 years and 73 days (and in his seventh season), then Emerson Fittipaldi 25 and 273 days. Quite some ranking to be at the top of.
Kimi said: “It’s difficult to put into words what I’m feeling right now. I’m still trying to process it all, but to be able to say that I am world champion is just incredible. This is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. We’ve had an amazing season and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. From very early on, we had a strong car and were able to be consistent, and that gave us the belief that we could fight for the championship.”
But the season doesn’t stop here for Kimi, of course. There’s a Constructors’ Championship to think of first; Mercedes are currently leasing the way, at 630 points to Ferrari’s 504, though that’s most definitely still in contention. The team will want to see George Russell follow Antonelli home in the standings for a one-two as well. It's a close run thing with just the four races left: Max Verstappen is currently second on 261 points, then Hamilton on 259, Russell on 250 and Charles Leclerc in fifth on 245. With the championship sewn up, that battle for second will be where the excitement is until Abu Dhabi in December. A one-two for the drivers and a teams’ championship would be quite the season for Mercedes-AMG…
Toto Wolff added: “What Kimi has achieved today is extraordinary. To become Formula 1 World Champion at 20 years old, and to do it in only his second season, is a remarkable achievement. But what makes me most proud is not the record or the statistics, it is the journey he has been on to get here. There were difficult moments last year. There were people who questioned whether he was ready for Formula One and whether he deserved to be in a Mercedes. We always believed in his talent and knew those difficult experiences would make him stronger. To see the way he has responded this season, the confidence he has built and the level at which he is now performing is incredibly satisfying.” Congratulations Kimi!
On a different note, I think there is very little chance of GR finishing second in the standings now, based on his current run of form. Reliability seems to have really screwed him over, although Kimi would still have won notwithstanding the number of times Russel's car has let him down.
I wonder what the future holds. If he can "do a Hamilton" and lock himself into the best team for a long time, how many championships can he win?
Everyone raised an eyebrow when it was determined that RB had the "best" engine, but that doesn't sound so strange now. It looks like they've sorted the rest of the car out now so my money is on Max for 2027.
It's an extraordinary feat to win the drivers' championship at all, let alone at the age of 20 - huge respect.
Congrats Kimi, great to see.
Given how well George Russell drove last year, Kimi's championship is far from just being a matter of driving a dominant car. He's just been quick almost every session all year, and his back-of-the-grid win in Monza was a real signature victory.
Championships often come in runs in the modern era (Schumacher, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Verstappen) especially when the rules continue the following season. If the rules are the same you expect car performance to be similar, and becoming a champion boosts both self-confidence and the tendency of the team to rally behind a driver - nothing succeeds like success. It'll be interesting to see what happens next year.
Yesterday, he became the first Italian driver to win the WDC in his father's lifetime.
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