Kimi Antonelli Becomes Youngest Formula One World Champion at 20 After Mexico City Third Place

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes became Formula One’s youngest world champion on Sunday, 1 November, at the age of 20 years and 68 days. He finished third in the Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, enough to make his lead unassailable with four races remaining. His advantage stood at 119 points.

Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, his sixth victory at the Mexican venue. Lewis Hamilton started from pole for Ferrari and finished second after a close contest that included contact with teammate Charles Leclerc. The race featured two safety-car periods, multiple crashes and a 33-minute red-flag stoppage with 25 of the 71 laps left. Antonelli, who only needed to finish ninth or better, crossed the line in third and was immediately mobbed by his Mercedes crew.

On the team radio Antonelli’s voice cracked as he said “We did it, we did it.” He later told the crowd he was speechless and trying to process what had happened. He is the first Italian drivers’ champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73-year wait. Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali said an entire nation would celebrate. Antonelli has already recorded nine grand-prix wins in his second full season and earlier this year became the youngest pole-sitter in China and the youngest championship leader in Japan.

The previous youngest champion was Sebastian Vettel, who won the first of his four titles with Red Bull in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days. Antonelli arrived in Melbourne at the start of the season as a teenager without a Formula One victory. He replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for 2025 and has rewritten several age-related records. He will receive the official trophy at the FIA gala in Shanghai in December.

The Mexico City podium placed three champions together: Verstappen, Hamilton and the new title-holder. With four rounds still to run, Antonelli’s nearest rivals, teammate George Russell and Hamilton, can no longer catch him. The result also gives Mercedes its first drivers’ champion since 2020. Antonelli’s season included a recovery from 19th to first at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the first Italian win at that circuit since 1966.

The high-altitude Mexico City event, held at roughly 2,200 metres, tested engines and cooling. The red-flag interruption and the restart added further variables, yet Antonelli managed the race to secure the points he required. His achievement places him ahead of every previous champion in the age rankings and confirms him as the 36th drivers’ world champion in the championship’s history.