Kimi Antonelli clinched the Formula 1 world championship Sunday, becoming the youngest driver in the sport’s history to win the title at just 20.The Italian prodigy secured the title at the Mexican Grand Prix with four races remaining on the 2026 calendar, capping a sensational season in just his second year in F1.He finished third and scored 15 points, enough to vanquish his remaining rivals from mathematical contention for the most coveted trophy in motor racing.“We did it! Thank you so much,” an emotional Antonelli said on the team radio after taking the checkered flag.“I’m very grateful for this moment,” he said after jumping out of the car.“It’s one that will live forever.
I’m speechless.I’m trying to process what has just happened.
...Looking forward to some more battles in the future.”Antonelli broke the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won the championship in a title-deciding thriller in 2010.
Antonelli also became Italy’s first F1 world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, vaulting him to superstardom at home.Antonelli has won nine out of 19 races so far this season, consistently outperforming his veteran Mercedes teammate and chief rival, George Russell, who began the year as the betting favorite to win the 2026 championship.Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race.Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton started on pole position and finished second.
Russell qualified second but finished sixth on Sunday after a 10-second time penalty for a crash ruined his race.Russell and Hamilton both needed to win — and have Antonelli finish lower down the order — to have any chance of staying in the title fight.At the opening race of the season in Australia, Russell seemed to solidify his front-running status with a victory, as Mercedes fulfilled expectations by building the fastest car under the new regulations that began this year.
But from there, it has all been downhill for the 28-year-old British driver, as Antonelli won the ...