Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, rewriting the sport’s history books at 20 years and 68 days old. CNN Español reported that the Italian driver clinched the title with a third-place finish on Sunday, with four rounds remaining in the 2026 season. He needed a ninth place to ensure the title or that anyone other than George Russell or Lewis Hamilton won the grand prix.
The achievement makes Antonelli the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, breaking a record held since 2010 by Sebastian Vettel. The Mercedes driver reached the milestone in his second season after debuting in 2025, needing 43 starts to claim the crown, which are more than the starts Lewis Hamilton or Jacques Villeneuve needed, though they were older, had more experience in other categories, and had fewer grands prix per campaign. He is also Italy’s first world champion in more than seven decades, according to CNN Español reporting.
Mercedes entered the 2026 campaign with the fastest package on the grid, but early expectations centered on teammate George Russell. El italiano encadenó cinco victorias consecutivas en China, Japón, Miami, Canadá y Mónaco, y ha ganado otras cuatro veces desde entonces, incluyendo el Gran Premio de España, disputado en el Madring, y subió al podio en 15 de las primeras 18 pruebas del calendario.
Bottas was the third driver to retire that day, following early exits from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. After the restart, Antonelli maintained his position within the lead group, executing a clean pass on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to secure the final step of the podium. Max Verstappen won the grand prix, while Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari. The podium remained unchanged thereafter despite a Virtual Safety Car triggered by a collision between Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) that forced the latter to retire.
Over team radio, Antonelli expressed relief after crossing the line. “Thanks to everyone. We did it,” he said, according to CNN Español. “No estaría acá sin Mercedes, sin mi familia. Es un momento que vivirá por siempre.”
The title capstones a rapid ascent that began in karting at age six — where he won titles including the Easykart International Grand Final, South Garda Winter Cup, WSK Champions Cup, WSK Super Master Series, WSK Euro Series, and European karting championships in 2020 and 2021 — and included multiple international competition victories before jumping to single-seaters in 2021 at age 15 under Mercedes, prompting Toto Wolff to state “pronto” he would reach Formula 1. He then won the Italian F4 championship and the ADAC Formula 4 in 2022, followed by the European Regional Formula and Middle East Regional Formula titles in 2023, before stepping into Formula 2 with Prema in 2024. After Mercedes signed him to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, Antonelli navigated a turbulent rookie year marked by high expectations and inconsistent pace, being compared by paddock experts to Max Verstappen before learning from those mistakes to set the stage for his 2026 championship campaign.
The Formula 1 season continues with the remaining flyaway races ahead of the season finale.
