- Five consecutive victories in China, Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco helped Antonelli build an early advantage in the championship race
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion in Formula One history Sunday, winning the title in only his second season after replacing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Italian secured his maiden championship by finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Hamilton at the Mexico City Grand Prix, putting the title beyond the reach of his rivals with four rounds remaining.
The result lifted Antonelli to 380 points, giving him an unassailable 119-point advantage over Verstappen, his nearest rival, with a maximum of 100 points still available.
Aged 20 years and two months, Antonelli broke the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won the 2010 championship.
He also became the first Italian to claim the drivers’ crown since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73-year wait.
From Bologna to Hamilton’s Mercedes seat
Born in Bologna on Aug. 25, 2006, Antonelli began karting at an early age under the guidance of his father, Marco, a sportscar driver and team owner.
Mercedes recruited him to its junior program in 2019, when he was 12.
Antonelli won the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in 2022 before claiming the Formula Regional Middle East and European titles the following year.
Mercedes then allowed him to bypass Formula 3 and move directly into Formula 2 in 2024. He finished sixth, winning races at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.
The team made an even bolder decision for 2025, selecting the 18-year-old to replace Hamilton after the seven-time world champion left Mercedes for Ferrari.
Antonelli stepped into one of the most closely scrutinized seats in motorsport after just one season in Formula 2.
Although he did not win a race, he finished seventh in his rookie season with three podiums and became the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix and record a fastest lap.
Second-season breakthrough
Antonelli opened the 2026 season by finishing second behind Mercedes teammate George Russell at the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
One week later in China, he became Formula One’s youngest Grand Prix polesitter before converting pole position into his maiden victory. The result also made him the sport’s second-youngest race winner behind Verstappen.
Victory at the third round in Japan on March 29 made Antonelli the youngest driver to lead the world championship.
He then won in Miami, Canada and Monaco, extending his run to five consecutive victories.
His Monaco performance was particularly dominant.
Antonelli became the race’s youngest winner and completed his first career Grand Slam by taking pole position, recording the fastest lap and leading every lap.
His momentum was interrupted by mechanical problems. An electrical failure forced him to retire while running second in Barcelona, while another car problem and a time penalty left him without Grand Prix points in Britain, reducing his championship lead over Russell to 25 points.
Antonelli responded by winning in Belgium on July 19, holding off Charles Leclerc after a safety-car restart and a late challenge. Podiums in Hungary and the Netherlands helped him rebuild his advantage.
His defining performance came at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sept. 6, where a power-unit change left him 19th on the grid.
Antonelli charged through the field and overtook Russell in the closing laps, becoming the first Italian to win his home Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called it an “amazing drive” and said “there was nothing that would have stopped him.”
“Even starting P19, I believed that this might be possible,” Antonelli said after what he described as the most special victory of his career.
A week later, Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid to extend his championship lead to 81 points.
He remained on the podium in Bahrain and Singapore before taking his ninth victory in Austin on Oct. 25.
The result increased his advantage over Russell to 123 points, leaving him within two points of securing the championship before Mexico.
Handling the title pressure
Antonelli acknowledged feeling the pressure before the decisive race.
“I’ve been a bit more tense this weekend than usual,” he said after qualifying, adding that it had been difficult to keep his emotions under control.
He nevertheless completed the task by finishing third Sunday, becoming world champion seven years after joining the Mercedes junior program.
“We did it! And I wouldn’t be here without Mercedes and without my family,” Antonelli said after the race. “I’m speechless, I’m trying to process what’s just happened.”
Even before he secured the title, his performances had earned praise from the two British drivers who remained his only mathematical rivals.
“The reality is my teammate has done a better job than me this year,” Russell said in September. “He deserves to be leading.”
Hamilton, whose Mercedes seat Antonelli inherited, also praised him after the Monaco Grand Prix in June.
“Kimi’s doing an incredible job, just delivering weekend in, weekend out,” Hamilton said. “It’s great to see.”
The title gave Mercedes its first drivers’ championship since Hamilton’s final crown in 2020.
It also vindicated the team’s decision to accelerate Antonelli’s career: a driver promoted to Formula One at 18 became its youngest champion in only his second season.
