Kimi Antonelli provisionally claimed the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship on Sunday after securing the title with four grand prix rounds remaining in the 2026 season.
At 20 years old, the Italian Mercedes driver officially broke the record as the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Antonelli clinched the driver’s crown after opening up a commanding 119-point lead over his closest title rivals. The milestone comes following a dominant race weekend that culminated at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico.
Antonelli shared the podium step alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
“Say that! Yeah!” an ecstatic Antonelli shouted over team radio after crossing the finish line to seal his maiden world championship.
The victory caps a meteoric debut title campaign for Mercedes, following Antonelli’s step up to fill the seat vacated by Hamilton’s shift to Ferrari. Antonelli arrived on the grid with massive expectations, but his clinical consistency and raw pace across changing weather conditions systematically broke the championship chase wide open.
With four rounds remaining in the 2026 calendar, Antonelli leaves rivals with zero mathematical path to overturn his points tally.