Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday to secure his first Formula 1 world championship at age 20.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli clinched the Formula 1 world championship on Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix to secure the drivers’ title at 20 years old.
The result made the Italian racer the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, surpassing Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who took his first title with Red Bull at age 23 in 2010. NBC News reported that the podium finish earned Antonelli 15 points and closed out the title with four races left on the 2026 calendar, while also making him Italy’s first Formula 1 world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won Sunday’s race, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished second from pole position. Antonelli crossed the line behind them to establish an unassailable 119-point lead in the standings, according to Al Jazeera.
Red flags and teammate friction
Hamilton led into the first corner from pole position, his first for Ferrari in a grand prix, but was immediately pressured by teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc cut across the grass at turn four during their fight for the lead, forcing Hamilton wide and allowing Verstappen into second place. Race stewards later gave Leclerc a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
The race was halted on lap 46 of 71 when Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas suffered a high-speed front-left suspension failure on the main straight and crashed heavily into the turn one barriers. Bottas walked to an ambulance after being evaluated in the car, checked in at the circuit medical center, and was subsequently released.
Following a 33-minute red flag, Verstappen held the lead on the restart as Hamilton challenged him and Antonelli moved past Leclerc. A subsequent collision between Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri triggered another safety car before racing resumed for a nine-lap sprint to the finish. Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell, who lined up second on the grid, fell back after a poor start and received a 10-second penalty for a collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, leaving him sixth at the flag.
How Antonelli took control of 2026
Antonelli took the title in only his second season in Formula 1 after replacing Hamilton at Mercedes last year. Russell began the season as the title favorite after outperforming Antonelli during their 2025 campaign and opened 2026 with a victory in Australia, BBC News reported.
Antonelli responded by winning the second round of the season, kicking off a run of five consecutive race victories that vaulted him to the top of the standings. In total, he has won nine of the 19 races held so far this season. The new technical regulations for 2026, featuring less aerodynamic downforce and greater electrical output, suited Antonelli’s style of late braking and handling a loose car over Russell’s smoother corner-exit approach.
Antonelli all but eliminated his rivals by winning the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the week before arriving in Mexico. On the cool-down lap on Sunday, Antonelli wept openly over team radio, saying, “We did it thank you so much.”
What happens next in the championship
Antonelli admitted that nerves affected his driving during Saturday’s qualifying session in Mexico, but his podium result leaves the remaining four rounds free of title pressure.
Behind him, the battle for second place in the drivers’ championship remains open. Verstappen moved into second place with his Mexico City victory, Hamilton sits third, and Russell has dropped to fourth, 130 points behind Antonelli, with Leclerc also in contention.
The series heads next to Brazil for the upcoming weekend. Mercedes holds 630 points in the constructors’ championship against Ferrari’s 504 and can secure the team title at the next round.
