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Antonelli, 20, Becomes Formula One's Youngest World Champion in Mexico City

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became Formula One's youngest world champion at 20 years old on Sunday, finishing third in a dramatic, red-flagged Mexico City Grand Prix won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen — Italy's first champion since 1953.

By Pawartaenggal Newsroom • Monday, 2 November 2026

Grandstand at the Mexico City Grand Prix circuit

Photo: Luisalvaz / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo shows the Mexico City circuit in 2016, not the 2026 title race.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became Formula One's youngest world champion at 20 years old on Sunday, finishing third in a red-flagged and restarted Mexico City Grand Prix won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, Antonelli finished third sobbing with joy over the team radio as he took the chequered flag at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with his overall lead now an unassailable 119 points.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton started from pole position and took a close second place on an afternoon of drama, with two safety cars, multiple crashes and a 33-minute halt with 25 of the 71 laps remaining.

Antonelli, who turned 20 on August 25, went into the Mexico City weekend 123 points clear of Mercedes team mate George Russell and 124 ahead of seven-time champion Hamilton. That meant the winner of nine races so far needed only to score two points even if either of his remaining rivals won the race, and he sealed the title with four rounds to spare in only his second season in the sport.

His rise has been rapid. Snapped up by Mercedes as an 11-year-old karter, he ripped up the script this season by reeling off five wins in a row from China to Monaco — where he became the youngest ever winner — and his wins also include Monza and Spa. He is only the third Italian champion since the championship started in 1950, after Giuseppe Farina in 1950 and Ascari in 1953.

Outgoing world champion Lando Norris of McLaren said Antonelli deserved far more credit for his achievement. "He's done an insane job," Norris said, noting that Antonelli had beaten a team mate in Russell who had been in the sport far longer and had taken the battle to Hamilton.

Source: Reuters

Antonelli, 20, Becomes Formula One's Youngest World Champion in Mexico City

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