Sports/Alive News: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has created history by becoming the youngest Formula 1 world champion at the age of 20. He broke the 16-year-old record previously held by Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who won his first world title in 2010 at the age of 23 years and 133 days.
Antonelli secured the championship after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday. Max Verstappen won the race, while Lewis Hamilton finished second. The Italian driver clinched the title with four races still remaining in the season, achieving the feat in just his second Formula 1 campaign.
Won five of the first six races
Antonelli enjoyed an impressive season, taking the lead in the drivers’ championship after the Japanese Grand Prix. He went on to win five of his first six races and recorded nine Grand Prix victories by the time he reached Mexico. One of his most memorable performances came at Monza, where he won despite starting from 19th on the grid.
Mercedes backed him at 18
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff selected Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton after the latter decided to join Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season. Antonelli was just 18 at the time. In his debut season, he scored 150 points, finished seventh in the championship and secured three podium finishes.
Started karting at seven
Born on August 25, 2006, in Bologna, Italy, Antonelli began karting at the age of seven. He joined the Mercedes junior programme in 2019. He subsequently won the Italian and German Formula 4 titles in 2022, followed by the Formula Regional European and Middle East championships in 2023. He moved directly to Formula 2 in 2024, winning two races without competing in Formula 3.
Antonelli has also ended Italy’s 73-year wait for an F1 drivers’ champion. Alberto Ascari was the last Italian to win the title, securing consecutive championships in 1952 and 1953. Antonelli is also the first Formula 1 world champion born in the 21st century.
