2026 F1 World Championship: Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest F1 World Champion in history, taking home the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix with a third place finish, as Max Verstappen took victory and Lewis Hamilton came second.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli has done something historic as he took home the 2026 Formula One Drivers’ Championship in a dramatic 71 lap race at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, 1 November. The Italian finished in third place to take his first world title.
This means he is now the youngest world champion in Formula One history, as well as making history for Italy as the first F1 world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull took the win after holding off Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari. Antonelli came in third to make up the podium.
The race result was:
1. Max Verstappen: Red Bull
2. Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari
3. Kimi Antonelli: Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc: Ferrari
5. Lando Norris: McLaren
Verstappen finished just 0.799 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Antonelli was 4.006 behind.
Antonelli only needed to finish ninth in the Mexico City Grand Prix to guarantee himself the championship despite the title battle being so close with Hamilton and his teammate George Russell (Mercedes).
The Italian started fourth on the grid and remained calm throughout the exciting race. There was a red flag due to a collision with Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac). There was also a late safety car due to Arvid Lindblad crashing out.
After the restart Antonelli made a move to pass Charles Leclerc to get into third place. He stayed there to win the championship.
Kimi Antonelli F1 Title: How He Can Become the Youngest World Champion?
He is only 20 years old meaning Antonelli has broken the record for youngest world champion in history. Sebastian Vettel took his first title in 2010 aged 23 years and 134 days.
It was also a huge moment for Italy as they have had a long wait for any drivers’ titles. The last Italian to win the championship was Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953.
Now they have the 2026 Drivers’ Championship secured Antonelli and Mercedes can look ahead to the rest of the races. However, the Italian has raised the bar with his title winning season. He is only 20 years old so there is plenty of time to develop his success and create a legacy in Formula One.
The Mexico City Grand Prix will go down in history as it was where a young Italian prodigy became the youngest world champion in F1 history. It was also a memorable win for Verstappen.
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