Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest Formula One world champion in history after finishing third at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver, aged 20 years and 68 days, secured the Drivers' Championship with four races to spare, ending a 72-year wait for an Italian champion.
Historic triumph in Mexico City
Antonelli is the first Italian F1 champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. He was overcome with emotion on the cool-down lap as his mother spoke to him over the team radio. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who hold 11 world championships between them, lifted the young Italian onto their shoulders on the podium in Mexico City.
"I would not be here without Mercedes or my family. I am speechless, trying to process what just happened," Antonelli said. "A day I will remember forever. So grateful, thank you so much. I am going to enjoy every bit."
Family and rivals react
His father, Marco, a former racing driver, said: "It's unbelievable because after one year in Formula One with a lot of difficulties, arriving at this point and winning the title, there are no words to explain my satisfaction. It is very good for Mercedes as well because they believed in Kimi. It's the best thank you Kimi can give to Mercedes for believing in him."
Lando Norris, who clinched his maiden championship in Abu Dhabi last season, praised Antonelli's season. "He's done an insane job," Norris said. "I feel like people are not giving him enough credit for what he has achieved this year. He has beaten his team-mate (George Russell) who has been in the sport for four or five times longer than him. Who is also very good and took the battle to Lewis (Hamilton, at Mercedes). I think people say 'he has not had much competition'. That's because he has slapped his competition! He's made it look too easy, like an easy year. If you can make anything look easy nowadays you've done an unbelievable job."
Hamilton and Verstappen pay tribute
Hamilton, who Antonelli replaced at Mercedes after joining the team as a 12-year-old, said: "I think for me, to see a youngster such as Kimi come through from being the little kid standing in the back of the garage, to replacing me at a team that I've loved and worked for many, many years and then this year where he's just been faultless throughout, I think it's really, really great to see. Records are there to be broken, you know. What he's been able to do at such a young age. He's just got such a bright future ahead of him. So, I'm grateful that I can be racing in the time to see it."
Mexico race-winner Verstappen described Antonelli's title triumph as "incredible" when speaking post-race to Nico Rosberg. "It's incredible, of course, what a season he's had, and to do that at such an age, I think it's just really, really impressive," Verstappen said. "It's amazing to see the whole team celebrating with him. His family is here as well, so I'm sure this is a very emotional day for him, and I'm very proud of him."
Antonelli's dominant triumph raises the question of how many more titles he can win, with fans invited to vote on whether he will surpass four-time champion Verstappen's tally.
