Kimi Antonelli's road to the 2026 F1 title, from Australia to Mexico

Mercedes' 20-year-old Italian driver Kimi Antonelli became the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion by finishing third at the Mexico Grand Prix. At 20 years and 68 days, he is the youngest champion in F1 history, beating Sebastian Vettel's record by three years and 65 days. Max Verstappen won the race and Lewis Hamilton finished second.

A crash in Australia, a first win in China

Antonelli's season began with a heavy crash in the third practice session of the Australian Grand Prix. He still started from second on the grid and finished in the same position, giving Mercedes a 1-2 with George Russell. A week later in Shanghai, he took his first pole position, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history, and scored his first win.

In Japan, a pole and a victory took him to the top of the standings. At 19 years, 7 months and 4 days old, he became the youngest driver to lead the championship. In Miami, he converted pole into victory, becoming the first driver to win from each of the first three poles of the season.

Battle with Russell

In Canada, Russell retired with a power unit problem, and Antonelli's lead grew to 43 points. Monaco brought another pole and win. In Barcelona, a mechanical failure forced him out, his first non-finish of the year. After finishing third behind Verstappen in Austria, his gap to Russell fell to 40 points. At Silverstone, he won the sprint but finished 16th in the race after a problem with the front left wheel cover and a penalty for leaving the track limits, cutting the gap to 25 points.

In Belgium, he took his sixth pole of the season and won the race. Russell was out of the race after a first-lap collision, and the gap rose to 45 points. Despite a grid penalty, he finished third in Hungary. At the Italian Grand Prix, a gearbox penalty sent him to the back of the grid in 19th. He was up to 14th by the end of the first lap, then passed Russell on his way to victory. At the new Madring circuit in Spain, he benefited from Lando Norris's misfortune under the safety car.

2026 by the numbers, and Mexico

Over 19 races, Antonelli won nine times, took seven pole positions and scored 380 points. He had no wins in 2025, when he finished seventh with 150 points. His wins came in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United States. Russell won eight races.

In Mexico, Hamilton took his first pole position with Ferrari, while Antonelli started fourth. On the podium, Hamilton and Verstappen lifted the new champion onto their shoulders. Verstappen said he found it very impressive that Antonelli beat his experienced teammate in his second season. Hamilton described the podium moment as one of the most special of his career. The next race is in Brazil.