Antonelli Becomes Youngest F1 Champion at 20
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest F1 champion in the history of the sport on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when he finished third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver was 20 years and 68 days old when he sealed the title. He is the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, a gap of 73 years.
Antonelli went into the race with a lead so large that he needed only two points to clinch the championship. A third-place finish gave him far more than that. His overall lead reached an unassailable 119 points after the race, with four rounds still to run in the season.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the race, his second win of the season. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton finished second after starting from pole position. Antonelli crossed the line behind them, and his race engineer Peter Bonnington told him over the radio: “Get in there, Kimi. Champion of the world.” Antonelli replied: “We did it, thank you so much.”
Youngest F1 champion: how the Mexico race was won
The race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City was full of drama. Hamilton led away from pole, his first for Ferrari at a full Grand Prix. He clashed with team-mate Charles Leclerc in the early corners, and Leclerc cut across the grass at turn four. Verstappen moved past Hamilton soon after, and Leclerc later received a five-second penalty.
Antonelli started fourth and drove a controlled race. He passed Leclerc after the restart and held third place to the finish.
The race was stopped on lap 46 of 71 after Valtteri Bottas suffered a suspension failure and hit the barriers at turn one. Bottas received medical attention in the car, then walked to an ambulance and gave a thumbs-up. The stoppage lasted 33 minutes, with 25 laps left when racing resumed.
After the restart, Verstappen led from Hamilton, with Antonelli passing Leclerc for third. A second safety car followed a collision between Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri, and the field was released again with nine laps left. Antonelli held his place, and his parents and sister were waiting to embrace him when he stepped out of the car. He was then mobbed by his pit crew.
Behind the podium, Leclerc was fourth, Norris fifth and Russell sixth. In the overall standings, Verstappen moved up to second, Hamilton sits third, and Russell dropped to fourth, 130 points behind Antonelli.
A record that stood for 16 years
The previous youngest F1 champion was Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title with Red Bull in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days. Antonelli beat that mark by almost three years. Vettel was among those who congratulated the young Italian after the race.
Antonelli won nine races in 2026, including five in a row from China to Monaco early in the season. He became the youngest polesitter in the sport, the youngest driver to lead the world championship, and the youngest to claim a pole, win and fastest lap in the same race, all in China. He won six races before his 20th birthday in August.
The title also ends a long Italian wait. Only three Italians have won the world championship since it began in 1950: Giuseppe Farina in 1950, Ascari in 1952 and 1953, and now Antonelli. His nine wins in one season already place him second among Italian race winners, behind Ascari’s 13 career wins.
What happens next for Antonelli
Who is the youngest F1 champion?
Kimi Antonelli, who won the 2026 title with Mercedes at 20 years and 68 days, after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix.
How did Antonelli win the title in Mexico?
He finished third behind race winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, which gave him an unassailable 119-point lead with four races left.
Who was the previous youngest champion?
Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title with Red Bull in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days.
Who was the last Italian champion before Antonelli?
Alberto Ascari, who won his second title in 1953, a gap of 73 years.
What happens next in the 2026 season?
Mercedes can clinch the constructors’ title in Brazil next weekend, and Antonelli will keep racing number 12 next season instead of taking number one.
