NAIROBI, Kenya – Kimi Antonelli has rewritten Formula 1 history after becoming the youngest world champion in the sport’s 76-year history, sealing the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured his maiden title on Sunday, November 1, after a remarkable second season in Formula 1 that has placed him among the sport’s most successful young competitors.
Antonelli needed only to finish ninth or higher in Mexico City to guarantee the championship, regardless of the results of his closest rivals. He went further, claiming third place behind race winner Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
The achievement has given Formula 1 its 36th different world champion and ended a wait of more than seven decades for Italy to celebrate another driver at the top of the sport.
Antonelli Shatters Vettel’s Longstanding Age Record
Before Antonelli’s triumph, Sebastian Vettel held the record as Formula 1’s youngest world champion.
The German secured his first of four titles with Red Bull in 2010, aged 23 years and 134 days. Antonelli has now surpassed that mark by more than three years, having won the 2026 championship at 20 years and 68 days.
The youngest Formula 1 world champions are:
| Driver | Championship season | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi Antonelli | 2026 | 20 years, 68 days |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2010 | 23 years, 134 days |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2008 | 23 years, 300 days |
| Fernando Alonso | 2005 | 24 years, 58 days |
| Max Verstappen | 2021 | 24 years, 73 days |
Antonelli’s achievement is also notable because he has won the championship in only his second season in Formula 1.
In the modern era, he joins Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton, who also claimed their first titles in their second seasons. Juan Manuel Fangio won his first championship in 1951, the second season of the world championship, although he had already built experience in Grand Prix racing before the series began.
Italy’s 73-Year Wait for an F1 Champion Ends
Antonelli’s championship has a special significance for Italy, a country with a deep history in Formula 1 but no drivers’ champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Italy produced two of the sport’s earliest champions. Giuseppe Farina won the inaugural championship in 1950, before Ascari secured consecutive titles in 1952 and 1953.
The country then endured a lengthy absence from the top of the drivers’ standings, despite Ferrari’s position as one of Formula 1’s most successful constructors.
Antonelli’s victory has now brought that drought to an end.
His nine victories during the 2026 campaign have also moved him into second place among Italian drivers for career Grand Prix wins, behind Ascari’s 13.
One of those victories came at Monza in September, making Antonelli the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
The Other Records Set by Mercedes’ Young Star
Antonelli’s championship is only one part of an extraordinary collection of milestones achieved during his first two Formula 1 seasons.
Although Max Verstappen remains the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix, having triumphed at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix aged 18, Antonelli has established several other age-related records.
He became the youngest driver to secure pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2026 and the youngest to lead the world championship after the Japanese Grand Prix.
In China, he also became the youngest driver to record a pole position, race victory and fastest lap in the same Grand Prix.
At Monaco, he added another milestone by becoming the youngest driver to achieve a Grand Slam — taking pole position, victory, the fastest lap and leading every lap of the race.
Antonelli also recorded six race victories before turning 20 in August, making him the only driver to have won multiple Formula 1 races as a teenager.
His campaign included a five-race winning streak from China to Monaco, another achievement that underlined the scale of his breakthrough season.
He had already made history in 2025, when he became the youngest driver to lead a Formula 1 race and record a fastest lap.
A New Chapter for Mercedes and Italian Motorsport
The championship marks a significant milestone for Mercedes, which has watched its young driver progress from a highly rated prospect into a title-winning competitor in just two seasons.
Antonelli’s victory also gives Italian motorsport a new figure to celebrate after years without a home-grown drivers’ champion.
His title was secured in a race won by Verstappen, with Hamilton finishing second and Antonelli completing the podium. The result allowed the Italian to settle the championship with four rounds remaining.
Formula 1 now heads to Brazil for the São Paulo Grand Prix, scheduled for November 6–8, with Antonelli arriving as the sport’s newest champion and the youngest driver ever to lift its most prestigious individual trophy.
