“For 73 years, our country has waited for this moment.”
Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 CEO, on Antonelli’s title
Yes. Kimi Antonelli clinched the Formula 1 world championship in Mexico City on Sunday at 20 years and 68 days old, finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. “Youngest ever” is the headline everywhere, and it undersells the thing: he did not edge Sebastian Vettel’s record, he beat it by 1,162 days.
Three Years and 66 Days
Coverage gives Vettel’s age as 23, a rounded figure. Here are the six youngest champions at the moment each one clinched.
| Rank | Driver | Season | Clinched at | Age when it was secured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | 2026 | Mexico City GP | 20 years, 68 days |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | 2010 | Abu Dhabi GP | 23 years, 134 days |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 2008 | Brazilian GP | 23 years, 300 days |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | 2005 | Brazilian GP | 24 years, 58 days |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 2021 | Abu Dhabi GP | 24 years, 73 days |
| 6 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 1972 | Italian GP | 25 years, 273 days |
Ages are our arithmetic, from each driver’s birth date and the date of the race that decided the title, taken from their pages on Wikipedia. Antonelli was born Aug. 25, 2006, and the race was Nov. 1.
A Record the Previous Champions Barely Moved
Between the second-youngest champion and the fifth, Vettel to Verstappen, the whole spread is 304 days. Antonelli beat Vettel by 1,162, almost four times that.
Vettel’s record stood for 16 years. It fell by more than three years.
The Car Argument
The obvious objection is the car. Mercedes led the constructors’ standings 607 points to Ferrari’s 474 after the previous race in Austin.
The standings also contain the answer. In that same car, George Russell had 242 points to Antonelli’s 365. Hamilton, a seven-time champion, had 241 in the Ferrari.
We think the teammate gap settles it. A fast car makes a champion possible. A 123-point margin over the other driver in the identical car, with five rounds still to run, makes it his.
What Sunday Looked Like
Verstappen won the race, his sixth victory in Mexico City, with Hamilton second. Antonelli took the title with four races still to run.
“We did it, we did it,” Antonelli said, adding that he was still trying to understand what had just happened. He also lost about two seconds on the final lap because he began savoring the win early. It is hard to imagine a more 20-year-old sentence.
Italy’s 73-Year Wait
Antonelli is the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, which is the number Domenicali reached for. Formula 1’s chief executive also said the 20-year-old’s name now sits with the sport’s legends.
The run was visible well before Mexico. We covered his sixth win of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix, and the points table kept saying the same thing.