Antonelli crowned youngest Formula One champion after Mexico GP

Kimi Antonelli clinched his maiden Formula One drivers’ championship by finishing third in the Mexico Grand Prix in Mexico City on Sunday. The 20-year-old became the sport’s youngest champion, surpassing Sebastian Vettel who won his first title at 23.

Antonelli was born on August 25, 2006, the same day Vettel made his Formula One debut during a practice session at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul. The Mercedes driver arrived in F1 after a single season in Formula 2 and was promoted last year to replace seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Team principal Toto Wolff took the decision to hand the seat to the then-18-year-old, a move Wolff partly justified by having missed the opportunity to sign Max Verstappen in 2015 and not wanting to repeat that mistake with a driver he considered a generational talent.

Antonelli’s rookie season was, by his own team’s account, far from impressive and he spent that campaign off the pace relative to Russell. The season-long title fight, however, demanded a different measure, and Antonelli produced the results when the opportunity presented itself.

The championship year featured major technical changes, including a new power unit and revised aerodynamic regulations that altered car behaviour. Pre-season testing suggested Mercedes had the strongest package, and Russell was widely regarded as the early favourite after a comfortable victory in the season opener in Australia.

Antonelli responded with a five-race winning streak that reshaped the championship standings. His aggressive driving was noted as well-suited to the current-generation cars, which the article describes as having lower grip than the 2025 specification; Russell, the piece notes, struggled with that characteristic and lacked answers on weekends such as the Monaco Grand Prix. In Barcelona, despite Russell qualifying ahead, Antonelli passed him during the race only to retire later with a mechanical failure.

The decisive moment arrived at Monza, where Antonelli won from 19th on the grid to defeat his teammate who had started second, a result the article identifies as the point at which the title contest was effectively settled. Sunday’s podium in Mexico City saw Max Verstappen win and Lewis Hamilton finish second, with Antonelli third — the official moment of coronation for his maiden drivers’ championship.

Antonelli’s race engineer commented, "it's just the first chapter".