Five youngest F1 World Champions include Vettel, Verstappen, Alonso, Hamilton and Fittipaldi

Khel Now published a list on October 20, 2026 naming the five youngest Formula 1 World Champions, featuring Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and others. The piece highlights drivers who secured World titles before turning 25.

The article opens by noting that winning a Formula 1 World Championship is one of motorsport’s biggest achievements and that a small group of drivers claimed the title at very young ages. Emerson Fittipaldi, described as "The Father of Brazilian Motor Racing," won the 1972 World title for Lotus at the Italian Grand Prix on September 10, 1972, and secured the Constructors' Championship for Lotus that season by clinching the drivers' crown.

Sebastian Vettel won his first World Championship with Red Bull Racing at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, claiming his fifth victory of the season to seal the title; at 23 years and 134 days he became the youngest F1 World Champion in history. Vettel later became the sport’s youngest double, triple and quadruple World Champion with consecutive titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Fernando Alonso clinched his first Drivers’ Championship for Renault at the Brazilian Grand Prix on September 25, 2005, breaking Fittipaldi’s long-standing record that had stood for 33 years. The 2005 campaign involved battles with Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher, and Alonso followed his 2005 triumph with a second title in 2006, making him at the time the youngest double World Champion.

Lewis Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2007 and secured his maiden World Championship at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. After four disappointing seasons with McLaren he signed with Mercedes in 2013 and, from 2014 onwards, won six Drivers’ Championships up to 2020; he is described in the article as a seven-time World Champion who spent the majority of his career with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari in 2025.

Max Verstappen is noted as the youngest driver ever to start a Grand Prix, at 17 years and 166 days, and for breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest Grand Prix winner at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen clinched the 2021 World Championship in Abu Dhabi, a result the article describes as having shattered Mercedes’ winning streak and halted Lewis Hamilton’s bid for an eighth title.

The article also references Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in 2026, stating he is set to break Vettel’s record and become the youngest ever World Champion at just 20 years old; however, Antonelli is yet to clinch the title and the piece explains the scenarios for the 2026 Drivers’ Championship.