The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured the 2026 title with four races remaining after finishing third in a chaotic Mexico City Grand Prix won by Max Verstappen.
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history on Sunday after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured the 2026 championship with four races remaining, ending any mathematical chance for his rivals to catch him.
Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, finishing 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli crossed the line 4.006 seconds behind Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lando Norris took fifth.
Antonelli entered the race needing only a ninth-place finish to guarantee the title regardless of what teammate George Russell did. Starting fourth, he stayed in contention through a chaotic race that included a red flag, multiple collisions and a late safety-car period.
A Record-Breaking Championship
At 20 years and 68 days, Antonelli broke the record for the youngest Formula 1 world champion. Sebastian Vettel had held the mark since winning the 2010 championship at 23 years and 134 days.
Antonelli also became the first Italian driver to win the Formula 1 world championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953. He is only the third Italian champion in the history of the series, joining Ascari and Giuseppe Farina, who won the inaugural championship in 1950.
The title came in Antonelli’s second Formula 1 season. He entered 2026 after a difficult rookie campaign in which Russell comfortably outscored him, but the balance changed quickly under the sport’s new technical regulations.
Antonelli won five consecutive races from China through Monaco and continued building his lead through the middle of the season. Reuters reported that he has won nine of the first 19 races, giving him one of the strongest seasons ever produced by an Italian Formula 1 driver.
His championship advantage was already overwhelming before Mexico. Antonelli arrived with a 123-point lead over Russell and only 125 points still available across the final five rounds.
A third-place finish gave him an unassailable lead. Reuters reported after the race that his advantage stood at 119 points, enough to end the title fight with four Grands Prix remaining.
Verstappen Wins a Chaotic Race
The Mexico City Grand Prix was far less straightforward than the championship mathematics. Hamilton started from pole position, but a first-lap battle with Ferrari teammate Leclerc opened the door for Verstappen.
Leclerc went off the track while fighting Hamilton and later received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage. Verstappen capitalized on the Ferrari battle and eventually took control of the race.
The event was stopped after Valtteri Bottas crashed following a suspension failure. The FIA said Bottas retired after 42 laps, while Reuters reported that the stoppage lasted about 33 minutes before racing resumed.
Verstappen kept the lead after the restart and later survived another interruption caused by a crash involving Arvid Lindblad. He finished less than a second ahead of Hamilton for his third victory of the 2026 season and his sixth career win in Mexico City.
Antonelli remained clear of the worst of the incidents and brought the Mercedes home in third. His result put three Formula 1 world champions on the podium: Verstappen, Hamilton and the newly crowned Antonelli.
Russell had a difficult afternoon in the other Mercedes. He started second but lost positions early and later received a 10-second penalty after contact with Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar.
Russell finished sixth and slipped to fourth in the championship standings. Verstappen moved into second overall, with Hamilton in third.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Russell was distraught after the race and had left the circuit before completing his media duties. Wolff also praised Antonelli’s season and said the young Italian had the qualities to become one of Formula 1’s great drivers.
Antonelli’s victory in the title race was especially striking because Russell had entered the year as the more established Mercedes contender. Antonelli instead became the team’s leading driver and converted his early-season winning streak into a championship that was effectively settled well before the finale.
Four Races Remain in 2026
The championship now moves to the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil from November 6 to 8. Las Vegas follows from November 19 to 21, with Qatar scheduled for November 27 to 29 and Abu Dhabi set for December 4 to 6.
Those final two races remain on Formula 1’s official 2026 calendar. There is no current official indication that either Qatar or Abu Dhabi has been canceled.
The drivers’ title is settled, but the constructors’ championship remains active. Mercedes left Mexico with a 126-point lead over Ferrari and can secure the team championship at the next round in Brazil.
Antonelli will also continue racing with his familiar number 12 next season rather than switching to the number one traditionally available to the reigning world champion. He said the number has personal meaning and helps him stay grounded.
For Italy, the championship ends a 73-year wait for another Formula 1 world champion. For Mercedes, it marks a return to the top of the drivers’ standings after the team last won the title with Hamilton in 2020.
Antonelli now heads to Brazil with the championship already secured, but with four races left to add to his nine victories. The remaining schedule will determine whether Mercedes can complete the season by adding the constructors’ title to its new drivers’ championship.
IMAGE: Kimi Antonelli Mercedes F1 Car Author Jason Puddephatt CC4