Kimi Antonelli has made Formula One history after securing his first world title at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the sport’s youngest world champion at 20 years old. The Italian driver clinched the crown for Mercedes after finishing third on Sunday behind Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Following the race, Hamilton and Verstappen hoisted the youngster aloft as paddock celebrations erupted.
Race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington, who previously worked with seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Hamilton, described Antonelli as another generational talent and the nation’s first world champion since 1953. “It’s a very special day,” Bonnington said, adding: “I feel privileged to work with him and to put up with his pranks and tricks, including the water pistols and the rest. It’s him all over.”
Reflecting on sharing the podium with Verstappen and Hamilton, Antonelli called the moment “truly incredible” and expressed excitement for future battles. “I’m looking forward to more battles with them in the future,” Antonelli remarked. “This is just the beginning. This win is just going to mark a beginning, a new point to build on and keep improving and keep trying to win a championship.”
Motorsport has been an integral part of Antonelli’s life since early childhood. When he was barely 10 years old, he sat on the lap of his father, Marco, behind the wheel of a competition Lamborghini—steering and shifting gears while his father controlled the pedals. Two years earlier, at age eight, his father had smuggled him into the F1 paddock hidden inside a stack of tires covered with an umbrella. The sound of engines and smell of exhausts have been part of Antonelli’s life since he was a child.
“Sometimes we may look like lunatics because we just talk about racing,” Antonelli said regarding his bond with his father. “We like to analyse things together. Racing is always in our minds. We have a lot of fun together, and racing is our passion. It’s what I live for.” Every news conference is laced with humour with other drivers joining in the fun.
The son of Elisabetta, who keeps a low profile, and Marco, a former driver and team manager, Andrea Kimi Antonelli started karting at age seven. His father initially opposed his entry into the sport due to its harsh financial reality. “He didn’t want me to become a driver because motorsports can be very cruel at times, especially financially, since it’s very hard to succeed without the support of the right people,” Antonelli explained prior to the US Grand Prix. He added that his father taught him everything about racing and life, making his presence at races essential.
Antonelli’s talent was recognized at age 11 by Gwen Lagrue, head of the Mercedes junior driver program, where Hamilton served as his mentor. Hamilton, whose record of seven titles could eventually be challenged by the protege, lauded the young Italian, stating: “He’s incredibly impressive and deserves to be world champion.” Prodigy picked up by Mercedes at 11.
After dominating karting in 2020 and 2021, Antonelli won the Italian and German F4 titles in 2022 and the Formula Regional championship in 2023. He bypassed Formula 3 entirely to enter Formula 2 in 2024, placing sixth overall. When Hamilton moved to Ferrari, Mercedes promoted Antonelli to Formula One. Despite a steep learning curve, his rookie campaign yielded three podiums, including second place in São Paulo, finishing seventh in the standings. He skipped F3 and went straight into F2 in 2024.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff noted that Antonelli possessed immense talent but needed time to adjust to F1. “He was catapulted into F1, and it wasn’t easy, even though he had always driven very well,” Wolff remarked. “He had to handle the pressure, the media and the expectations.” Antonelli quickly became a charismatic figure in the paddock, known for his cheerful humor during press conferences. According to “I, From the start that he had tremendous talent and a great personality but that he would need a season in F1 to grow and learn through both great moments and setbacks,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.
His championship win triggered global tributes, including messages from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, domestic football clubs, and tennis star Jannik Sinner. Antonelli’s historic campaign was defined by several standout performances, including becoming the youngest driver to earn pole position before securing his maiden win as the second-youngest race winner after Verstappen.
During one key stretch, Antonelli secured four consecutive victories, widening his points lead after teammate George Russell suffered a battery failure on lap 30 while running near the front. Two weeks later, Antonelli took pole position and won on the tight Monaco street circuit, bringing his championship advantage over Hamilton and Russell to 66 and 68 points, respectively, after six races. The race again belonged to Antonelli, who made it four wins on the bounce as Russell was forced to retire on lap 30 due to a battery/power unit failure, costing him a potential 18 points and widening the gap, despite teammate George Russell taking pole.
In his first event after turning 20, an engine penalty forced Antonelli to start 19th on the grid. He sliced through the field to pass pole-sitter Russell and win, becoming the first Italian winner of that Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti 60 years prior. Despite a rare qualifying crash into the wall in Baku, Antonelli recovered to finish fifth, while a second-place finish behind Verstappen in another round expanded his title lead to 84 points after Russell retired late from third place, effectively ending his teammate’s championship challenge. But Antonelli, still only 19, went on to win his first grand prix, becoming the second youngest F1 winner behind Verstappen, not only did he become the youngest driver ever to take pole position.
