Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix. At 20, he is the youngest champion in the sport's history and the first Italian champion since 1953. Max Verstappen won the race, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion, at age 20, after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. He clinched his first world title with four races still left in the season. Antonelli won the championship in his second F1 season.
Records and history
Antonelli broke the age record set by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won the title in 2010. He is also the first Italian to win the F1 title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Antonelli has won nine of 19 races so far in the 2026 season, including the race in Austin the Sunday before the Mexican Grand Prix.
What Antonelli needed
Antonelli needed only a ninth-place finish or better in Mexico to secure the title, even if George Russell won the race. He qualified fourth, and Verstappen started fifth. He finished third and scored 15 points.
The race
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Mexico City Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari second. It was Verstappen's third win in four races. Hamilton started from pole position, his first for Ferrari, at the race held on Sunday, 1 November.
George Russell qualified second but finished sixth after a 10-second time penalty for a crash. Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track at turn four while trying to pass Hamilton. Hamilton was angry about that penalty.
