"We did it! » : Kimi Antonelli becomes Mexico City's youngest F1 World Champion

Kimi Antonelli finished the championship with a podium. Sunday, November 1, 2026, the Mercedes driver finished third in the Mexico Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Daily Maverick, the BBC and the Guardian converge on this outcome: at 20 years and 68 days, the Italian won his first title and became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. [S1] [S22] [S39]

A record built over an entire season

Antonelli succeeds Sebastian Vettel as holder of the record of precocity. The Germans won their first championship at 23 in 2010. Mercedes is also the first Italian rider to be sacred since Alberto Ascari in 1953. This comparison covers the age of the first title, not the respective value of still very different careers. [S1] [S22] [S39]

The sacre came in its second season in F1, with four rounds still on the programme. The Guardian reported nine victories, including a success in Monza after a start from nineteenth place; Time and TF1info highlight its sixteen podiums in 19 Grand Prix. Mexico City therefore devotes a regularity built long before this decisive race. [S8] [S15] [S39]

Antonelli was in the lead with 380 points ahead of Verstappen at 261, and Hamilton at 259. Daily Maverick confirms that his advance is now insurmountable. The fight for the title of the pilots is over, but the fight for the next places remains open. [S1] [S40]

In Mexico City, keep control in a rough race

A ninth place was enough for Antonelli to be a champion, regardless of the results of his opponents. Part four, he avoided the incidents that upset the Grand Prix. After the interruption of the race, he crossed Charles Leclerc to regain a place on the podium, without contenting himself with the minimum necessary for the race. [S1] [S22]

The red flag followed the violent accident of Valteri Bottas, victim of a break in suspension on his Cadillac. TF1info and Blick report that no injuries were found after his visit to the medical centre. The stories differ on the duration of the interruption: the Japan Times evokes 33 minutes, compared to more than 40 minutes for Blick. However, they agree on the accident and recovery with a new start. [S3] [S15] [S18]

Verstappen remained ahead of Hamilton, frustrated by his confrontation with his team-mate Leclerc. The Guardian reports that the Monegasque received five seconds of penalty for winning an off-track advantage. The BBC describes Hamilton's feeling of letting a victory slip: this appreciation of the driver does not demonstrate that another management of the battle between Ferrari would have guaranteed their success. [S22] [S39]

The choice of Mercedes, the work of Antonelli

Mercedes had entrusted Antonelli, then 18, with the steering wheel left vacant by Hamilton for the 2025 season. Daily Maverick recalls the criticisms raised by this promotion and the beginnings marked by mistakes, but also by mechanical abandonments. Not all of his setbacks were therefore within his control. Toto Wolff today presents the title as the culmination of a long technical and psychological accompaniment. [S1]

The Guardian is an essential complement to the story of the prodigy: Mercedes had a technical advantage during the first half of the season, under the new rules. Antonelli turned it into a result, especially against his team-mate George Russell. Its success thus combines individual performances with a competitive car and the means of training a team. [S39]

Access to these means also counts in his journey. According to the words of Antonelli reported by Daily Maverick, his father had initially hesitated to let him follow this path, having himself known the limits of a career without sufficient financial support. This testimony sheds light on the constraints of his family history, without drawing a general rule on all pilots. [S1]

" We did it!", a shared title

Upon arrival, the mastery gave way to emotion. "Thank you very much, we did it!" said Antonelli on the radio, according to RTBF. The driver recognized an unusual tension this weekend and thanked Mercedes and his family. On the podium, Hamilton and Verstappen took the podium to Mexico City. [S8] [S17]

International Courier describes Italian enthusiasm through the headlines of La Gazzetta dello Sport and the word "Kimythique". This celebration accompanies an established sporting event, without prejudging the champion's future ranking. For Mercedes, the Guardian points to another goal: it is the first world title of the team's drivers since Hamilton in 2020. [S4] [S39]