The permutations going into the 2026 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix were clear: unless something catastrophic happened to Kimi Andrea Antonelli or the Mercedes W26 underneath him, the 20-year-old would become the sport’s youngest-ever world champion in one of the world’s most vibrant cities. And so he did, with the charismatic Italian being hoisted into the air at the podium by his predecessors, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, after finishing third place during Sunday’s race. Among the three drivers in the now-iconic picture: 12 world championships.
Antonelli enjoyed the kind of fiesta only Mexicans can throw, with the Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez stadium section jam-packed with fans supporting the three champions, as well as local hero Checo Pérez, who finished his home race in 11th place.
Back in 2010, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest-ever F1 champion at 23 years and 134 days old. Second on that list is Lewis Hamilton, who came in second place at Sunday’s Mexican GP and won his first title at 23 years and 300 days old in 2008. Max Verstappen, who won Sunday but was hardly the focus of the celebrations, became an F1 champ at 24 years and 73 days old in 2021. Fernando Alonso rounds up the top five, winning his first title in 2005 at 24 years and 57 days old.
That said, Antonelli’s rise to fame was much, much quicker, reaching the milestone that all F1 drivers set out to accomplish, yet most of them never do. All you have to know about his god-given capability is that he clinched the drivers’ championship in just his second season in the sport, and he now has more race wins (9) than his teammate George Russell (8), who has been racing since 2019.
As FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem told me in Austin a week ago, Antonelli is not only a generational talent, but someone who puts in the work, day in and day out, someone who never complains, and someone who simply gets on with the job regardless of what’s going on around him. This kind of performance from someone so young is so unheard of that Ben Sulayem admitted he did a double-take when Antonelli submitted his FIA Super License application.
It’s unclear what the rest of the season will look like, given the uncertainty in the Middle East, meaning that we could possibly have just two races left: Brazil and Vegas. Maybe something will come through at the last minute, as it did for MotoGP in Qatar, but I find it unlikely at this point. The rumors out of the paddock in Austin and Mexico were inconclusive, with some contacts saying they were heading to the Middle East after Vegas and others saying the opposite.
“I think to achieve this in your second year in F1 is always very impressive,†Verstappen said after the race. “Because, of course, at his age as well, to be so solid, not make big mistakes, and of course, also beat your experienced team mate, he’s just driven incredible. And I’m very proud of him, how he has handled himself this whole season. It’s not always easy to deliver every single weekend, but he has done that, and he’s the deserved champion this year.â€
Meanwhile, the man whom Antonelli replaced at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, had this to say:
“I mean, it was beautiful to be up there with these two and to be up there with Kimi for his first World Championship. I think it was a very special moment, one of the most special moments that I remember having here.â€
Congratulations, Kimi. You are a legend.
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