Kimi Antonelli has been crowned Formula 1 world champion for the first time, becoming the youngest driver in the sport’s history to win the Drivers’ Championship. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured the title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, with four races still remaining in the 2026 season.
Antonelli needed only ninth place to become champion, but went on to finish on the podium behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who took victory, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in second. The result confirmed a remarkable breakthrough for the Italian, who has won the championship in only his second season in Formula 1, having made his debut as a rookie in 2025.
At 20, Antonelli breaks the record held by Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest world champion in 2010 at the age of 23 years and 133 days after winning that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Red Bull. Antonelli also becomes the first driver since Lewis Hamilton, who won his maiden title with McLaren in 2008, to become world champion in only his second season.
The Mercedes driver’s title caps a season marked by impressive speed, consistency and maturity. He has made a major step forward from his rookie campaign to establish himself as the leading driver in the championship and secure the title with four rounds still to go.
Verstappen, meanwhile, claimed his third victory of the 2026 season and the 74th of his Formula 1 career. The Red Bull driver finished ahead of Ferrari’s Hamilton, with Antonelli completing the podium.
Behind them, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in fifth. Mercedes driver George Russell took sixth, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in seventh.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crossed the line in eighth, while Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson finished ninth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top 10 and the points-scoring positions.
