How Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion!

At just 20 years old, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has officially etched his name into Formula 1 lore. By securing a P3 finish at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, the Italian wunderkind clinched the Drivers’ World Championship, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s long-standing record to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. He also ended a 73-year drought, becoming Italy's first F1 World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Under the eye of his racing-driver father Marco Antonelli, Kimi dominated international karting, claiming back-to-back FIA European OK Championships (2020, 2021). Signed by Toto Wolff in 2019, Antonelli's trajectory was fast-tracked. He destroyed single-seater feeder ranks—capturing titles across Italian F4, ADAC F4 and the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA).

Mercedes took the bold step of skipping Formula 3 entirely, placing Antonelli straight into FIA Formula 2 for 2024, where he secured standout victories at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. And in the hot F1 seat, the newcomer would be replacing seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and that was a baptism of fire.

On his F1 debut in Melbourne, the driver qualified cleanly and brought the car home in P4 during his opening race in Australia. He did not wait too long and that same year in Canada, he claimed a composure-filled P3 finish in Montreal to score his maiden F1 podium. He ended his rookie year 7th in the standings with 150 points and 3 podiums, laying the operational groundwork with race engineer Peter Bonnington.

Armed with Mercedes’ potent 2026 machine, Kimi Antonelli transformed from promising sophomore to title leader. At Chinese GP in Spring this year, he earned his first career pole position and converted it into a masterclass victory, becoming Formula 1's youngest-ever pole-sitter and the first Italian driver to win a Grand Prix since 2006. By the time he achieved five consecutive Grand Prix victories (Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco and Madrid), everyone in the sport knew Kimi was going to clinch that cup!

With nine race wins across China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Spain/Madrid, Hungary, Italy/Monza and USA and 14 podiums and one grand slam this year, the champion stood strong at 365 prior to Mexico and added 15 points with a solid P3 finish to bag the championship. He clinched the title with a 138-point lead over nearest challenger George Russell (with 100 maximum points remaining across the final 4 rounds).

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