Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Formula 1 world championship at age 20 with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the youngest F1 champion in history. The 20-year-old Italian driver needed only a ninth-place finish to secure the title but delivered a podium result alongside Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli secured the championship with four races remaining on the calendar. He won nine races and finished on the podium in 16 of the first 19 rounds. Early in the season, he won five consecutive races as Mercedes dominated under the new 2026 regulations. He also achieved a 19th-to-first victory at his home Grand Prix, becoming the first Italian driver to win in Italy since Ludovico Scarfiotti.
"We did it," Antonelli told F1TV. "And without them, I wouldn't be here without Mercedes, without my family. So I'm very grateful for this moment, and it's one that will live forever."
Antonelli completed this championship in his second F1 season, five years after graduating from kart racing to car racing.