Antonelli names Japanese GP turning point after sealing F1 title at 20

Kimi Antonelli sealed the 2026 Formula 1 world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, becoming the sport’s youngest ever world champion at 20 years old. The Mercedes driver finished the campaign with nine wins and 16 podiums, clinching the title with four rounds still to run.

Reflecting on a season in which he led the standings from round three onwards, Antonelli singled out the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka as the pivotal moment in his title charge.

“China was the start of everything, but Suzuka was the first turning point because it was when I started to lead the championship,” Antonelli said. “It was a key moment for me, and it helped me to make that further switch in my head, gave me an extra belief to say, ‘actually, we can win this’. Getting that lead for the first time gave me that extra confidence.”

Antonelli had claimed his maiden grand prix victory in China just two weeks before Suzuka, but it was the Japanese race — won after a timely safety car allowed him to overhaul team-mate George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri — that opened up a nine-point lead in the standings and sparked a five-race winning run.

His consistency proved the defining quality of the season. Antonelli reached the podium at all but three rounds, with two of those absences — Barcelona and Silverstone — caused by technical failures on the Mercedes W17 rather than any drop in performance.

Russell, the pre-season favourite, was ultimately classified fourth in the championship behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, his campaign undermined by persistent reliability problems.

“I think the main thing was the consistency we’ve had during the whole season,” Antonelli added. “Even when it was looking a bit rough, we still managed to do a decent result, managed to do some damage limitation. That has been the key — always been there.”

Antonelli also pointed to his mindset across the year as a factor, describing an approach built around enjoying each race weekend rather than fixating on the title fight.

“Just taking it race by race and enjoying the weekend on and off the track, enjoying the time with the mechanics, with the engineers and with everyone involved,” he said. “At the end, I’ve still got to remember that I’m very lucky to do what I love.”

The Italian’s coronation in Mexico caps a remarkable debut full season at Mercedes, a team he joined for 2026 following Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile move to Ferrari.