Antonelli shatters Vettel's record to become F1's youngest world champion at 20

Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion in history on Sunday, securing the title with a third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Mercedes driver needed only to finish ninth or better to clinch the crown, and he did so with four rounds of the season still to run.

At 20 years and 68 days old, Antonelli has shattered the record previously held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days when he claimed his first title with Red Bull in 2010. The Italian is also the first driver from his country to win the championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953 — a gap of more than seven decades.

In just his second season in Formula 1, Antonelli seized the championship lead as early as the third round after back-to-back victories at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. He never relinquished it. Four more wins followed in the first half of the campaign — in Miami, Canada, Monaco and Belgium — before he added three further victories after the summer break in Italy, Spain and Austin.

Heading into Mexico City, Antonelli had constructed a 123-point advantage over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, making the title a matter of when rather than if. The result confirms Mercedes’ dominance this season and caps a remarkable rise for a driver who only made his F1 debut a year ago.

The battle for second place in the drivers’ standings remains unresolved, with Russell and the rest of the field still competing for the runner-up position across the final four races of the year.