A record sealed in Mexico City
Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 Formula One drivers' championship on Sunday at the Mexican Grand Prix, finishing third at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. At 20 years old, the Mercedes driver is the youngest title winner the sport has recorded, and he wrapped it up with four rounds still remaining on the calendar. The result came in only his second season in F1.[S1][S2]
The crown had belonged to Sebastian Vettel since 2010, when the German claimed it at 23. Antonelli also ends a long Italian absence from the top of the sport: the last driver from Italy to take the championship was Alberto Ascari in 1953. For Mercedes, it is a first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton's 2020 success and the tenth in the team's history.[S1][S2]
Antonelli needed only ninth place or better in Mexico to be sure of the title, and he qualified fourth before delivering a composed drive. He took 15 points for third, enough to put his remaining rivals out of mathematical reach. Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the race, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton second.[S1][S2]
A season of dominance from the start
The Italian moved to the front of the standings at the third round in Japan and never gave the position up. Mercedes built the strongest car of the early season under the new technical regulations, and Antonelli exploited it fully, winning five of the first six races and outpacing his teammate George Russell, who had entered the year as the pre-season favorite.[S1][S2]
By the end of the campaign Antonelli had collected nine victories from 19 races, failing to score only twice, both times because of mechanical trouble. His standout result was a win at Monza, his home grand prix, after starting from 19th on the grid. A pivotal stretch came with wins in Canada and Monaco while Russell came away empty-handed from both.[S1][S2]
Russell and Hamilton were his closest challengers, yet neither could close the gap meaningfully. Both needed to win in Mexico while hoping Antonelli finished far down the order; Russell qualified second but ended sixth after a 10-second penalty for a crash, and Hamilton started from pole. Even a victory by either would not have denied Antonelli the title given his third place.[S1][S2]
Ferrari friction and a podium of legends
The race itself was eventful. Charles Leclerc made a strong start and attempted to pass Hamilton for the lead at turn four, but left the track in the maneuver and did not return the position. Stewards ruled he had gained an advantage and imposed a five-second penalty to be served at his pit stop. Hamilton was visibly angry, arguing his teammate had cost Ferrari a one-two and allowed Verstappen into the lead.[S1]
A red flag followed Valtteri Bottas's heavy crash at turn one, and the restart reshuffled the order. Hamilton climbed to second and Antonelli settled into third, choosing to race rather than protect a minimal result. The podium placed him alongside Hamilton and Verstappen, who between them hold eleven world championships.[S1][S2]
Mercedes had signed Antonelli to its young driver program when he was 12 and promoted him to replace Hamilton last season, a difficult rookie year. His adaptation since then has been rapid. The team's race engineer, Peter Bonnington, described the title as a first of many, while former Haas principal Guenther Steiner said the young Italian had shown the maturity of a far more experienced driver.[S1][S2]
