Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history, sealing the 2026 title at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez during the Mexican Grand Prix. At 20 years and 68 days old, the Italian driver finished third in the 19th round of the 23-race season, securing an unassailable lead in the drivers’ standings and breaking Sebastian Vettel’s benchmark. The trundle of recent weeks had not left the usually carefree Antonelli unscathed, as he was slowed down by a virus during the week, missed media day on Thursday while feeling under the weather, and admitted after an unsatisfactory time trial on Saturday that he might have been a bit tense. On Sunday, however, Antonelli felt very good, declaring on an absolutely exciting day that he did not feel like a controlled title drive and announcing that he wanted at least to make it to the podium.
A Historic Sunday in Mexico City
Antonelli secured the championship four races before the season finale by steering his Silver Arrow to a measured third-place finish in the thin air of Mexico City. The 20-year-old entered the weekend needing only a ninth-place finish to mathematically lock out his rivals, regardless of where they finished. While Bottas walked away and entered the medical car looking dazed, the incident brought a red flag and an interruption that lasted around 40 minutes. Max Verstappen of Red Bull claimed the Grand Prix victory, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton crossing the line in second place ahead of Antonelli. Long before the race start, Antonelli stood arm in arm with his dad Marco in the garage, joking and smiling at his Mercedes, and even found time for a birthday prank by smearing whipped cream in the face of engineer Andrew Shovlin. A final handshake with race engineer Peter Bonnington, who previously worked with Michael Schumacher and Hamilton at Mercedes, preceded him taking his seat in his Silver Arrow, while dad Marco proudly and smilingly gave interviews with family present to create an atmosphere more than worthy of a world championship decision. During the race, Antonelli even took the lead for a time before making his pit stop, keeping his crew, family, and fans from straining their nerves too much as too much was at stake, even though the title was only a matter of time among other things following his nine wins this year. Wir sind super happy mit dem Speed, Bonnington radioed to his protégé, telling him to keep it up, while the tire change could have been better before a heavy crash by Valtteri Bottas caused red flags and an interruption. After the other drivers initially parked their cars in the pit lane, Antonelli appeared self-confident during this phase in the pit lane, grinning while chatting with his team. At the standing restart, Verstappen stayed in front, Hamilton pushed past Leclerc, and Antonelli also overtook the Monegasque driver to move into third place and drive toward his major triumph.
Chasing the Ghost of Ascari and Vettel
Furthermore, the triumph delivers Mercedes its first drivers’ championship since Lewis Hamilton won the title with the squad in 2020. The achievement stands in sharp contrast to Antonelli’s challenging rookie campaign in 2025, where he went nine consecutive races without scoring a point and faced intense scrutiny over whether he was ready for a Mercedes seat. Team principal Toto Wolff celebrated the milestone over team radio by shouting, “World champion, we did it,” as Antonelli secured his 16th podium finish of the year, marking the provisional highlight of a promising career defined by immense speed and coolness under pressure.
Tension Inside the Ferrari Garage
While Antonelli navigated his afternoon with relative composure, his rivals experienced significant turmoil. Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position as a Ferrari driver during qualifying—marking his first pole position in more than three years and the 105th pole of his career—but his race unraveled at the start when he was attacked by teammate Charles Leclerc.
The Road Ahead in São Paulo
With the drivers’ championship decided, attention shifts immediately to the Constructors’ Championship battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. Mercedes arrived in Mexico holding a 607 to 474 point lead over the Italian constructor, and the remaining four grands prix will determine the team trophy. Sebastian Vettel praised the young Italian’s trajectory ahead of the weekend, calling his campaign an unbelievable year.
Antonelli’s first race weekend as a reigning world champion begins next week for the Grand Prix of Brazil, where the celebrations must conclude.
Related reading
