Antonelli seals F1's youngest-ever title as Wolff reflects on Hamilton era

Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion in history on Sunday, sealing his maiden title at the Mexican Grand Prix at the age of 20 with four rounds of the 2026 season still to run. The Italian’s triumph made him Mercedes’ first world champion since Lewis Hamilton’s record-equalling seventh title in 2020.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who oversaw Hamilton’s six championships with the team between 2014 and 2020, said the experience of watching Antonelli lift the title felt distinctly different — not lesser, but shaped by a different kind of emotion.

“The championships with Lewis were absolutely incredible and rewarding,” Wolff said. “I felt that we were all part of Lewis’ history — of the greatest champion — and that we would look back many years to come and say, ‘we’ve been world champions with Lewis Hamilton’. This one is different. For me, he’s still the kid that hasn’t even changed visually a lot. It’s so refreshing.”

Wolff illustrated the point with a telling anecdote. “I tried to get hold of him a few weeks ago and said, ‘where’s Kimi?’. Kimi, for his birthday? He’s in the water park. Great!”

The title represents a significant vindication for Wolff, who faced sustained criticism when Mercedes chose to replace Hamilton — who departed for Ferrari — with a teenager who had been fast-tracked through the junior ranks since signing with the programme as a karter in 2019. Doubts intensified when Antonelli finished only sixth in his sole Formula 2 season, and Wolff later admitted the team lost two sponsors as a result of promoting him to the F1 seat for 2025.

His debut season was difficult. Antonelli finished 169 points behind team-mate George Russell and endured a run of six non-scores around a Montreal podium that highlighted the steep learning curve ahead of him.

The 2026 campaign told an entirely different story. Antonelli dominated a Russell who had entered the year as pre-season favourite, taking nine wins, 16 podiums and seven pole positions from 19 grands prix to wrap up the title with races to spare.

Antonelli joins Hamilton and Nico Rosberg — champion in 2016 — as the only drivers to win the world title with Mercedes since the team’s return to the sport in 2010.