20-year-old Antonelli became the youngest champion in Formula 1 history
Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history at the age of 20. He secured the championship before the end of the season by taking third place at the Mexican Grand Prix.
20-year-old Antonelli became the youngest champion in "Formula-1" history
Following the race held in Mexico City on November 1, Antonelli's overall lead reached 119 points. His rivals will no longer be able to close this gap in the remaining stages.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, who started the race from pole position, finished slightly behind him in second place.
On the day Antonelli won the championship, he was 20 years and 68 days old. In doing so, he broke the record of Germany's Sebastian Vettel. Vettel won his first championship in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days old and had remained the youngest "Formula-1" champion until now.
The driver from Bologna also became the third athlete in Italian history to hold this title. Before him, Giuseppe Farina became champion in 1950, and Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953. Thus, an Italian driver became a "Formula-1" champion again after 73 years.
Antonelli worked as a test driver for the Mercedes team in 2024. In the 2025 season, he reached the podium three times, but did not win any stage. He finished that season in seventh place with 150 points.
In the current season, however, his results improved dramatically. Prior to the Mexican Grand Prix, Antonelli had won nine races, and finished second and third three times each.