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Kimi Antonelli, 20, becomes youngest F1 world champion after third in Mexico City; Verstappen wins
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli clinched the 2026 Formula 1 title at 20 years and 68 days by finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November, with four rounds to spare. He beat Sebastian Vettel's record by over three years and is the first Italian champion since 1953. Max Verstappen won.
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Kimi Antonelli has won the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history. The Mercedes driver finished third in the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, 1 November, which was enough to settle the title with four rounds still to run. He is 20 years and 68 days old.
The previous mark belonged to Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first title with Red Bull in 2010. Antonelli has lowered it by more than three years. He is also the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Like Vettel, he won the title in his second full season; he made his debut last year at 18.
He started the weekend with a 123-point lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell and needed only to finish ninth, whatever his rivals did. He started fourth and finished third, 4.006 seconds behind the winner. 'We did it, we did it,' he said. 'I'm speechless. I'm trying to process what has just happened.' He added that he had felt more tense than usual all weekend.
Antonelli has won nine races in 2026: China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco and Belgium before the summer break, and Italy, Spain and Austin after it. He took the championship lead in Japan, becoming the youngest driver to lead the standings, and earlier in the year became the youngest pole-sitter in the sport's history.
Max Verstappen won his third race of the season from fifth on the grid, with Lewis Hamilton second for Ferrari, 0.799 seconds behind, and Antonelli third. Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fought side by side at the start. Leclerc took the lead and later received a five-second penalty for cutting the track, which let Verstappen move ahead.
Read alsoIndia finish Asian Para Games with a record 114 medals, including 30 gold, and place fourthRussell started on the front row but was swamped at the start and fell to sixth. He tapped Isack Hadjar into a spin and was given a 10-second penalty, finishing sixth. Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily at Turn 1, bringing out a red flag, and a late safety car followed a collision between Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad that sent Lindblad into the wall.
The championship now moves to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on 6 to 8 November, with Antonelli already crowned.
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