Kimi Antonelli claims F1 title at 20, youngest champion ever

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history on Sunday after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured the title with four races left on the calendar. He surpassed the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel, who won the championship at age 23 in 2010.

Antonelli finished behind race winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Verstappen claimed his sixth victory in Mexico City. Antonelli, who took an unassailable lead over teammate George Russell and Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, placed his hands on the steering wheel after crossing the finish line. His voice cracked as he told his team, “We did it, we did it.”

The Italian driver is the first to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula 1, noted that Italy had waited 73 years for a driver from the country to reach the top of the sport. Antonelli described the season as incredible and said he was speechless while trying to process the achievement. He credited Mercedes and his family for his success.

The race was interrupted on lap 46 by a red flag after Valtteri Bottas crashed into the wall at the first corner. Cadillac reported that Bottas was given further medical assessments as a precaution, though he exited his car unaided. When the race restarted, Verstappen led Charles Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Lando Norris, and Russell. Verstappen held off the field to take the win.

Tension defined the Ferrari side of the grid. Lewis Hamilton lost pole position on the fourth lap while battling Charles Leclerc for the lead. Hamilton went off track and dropped to third place. Stewards investigated the maneuver and handed Leclerc a five-second penalty. Hamilton expressed frustration, stating that the decision handed Leclerc clean air and an advantage in car management.

Aston Martin suffered reliability issues during the weekend. Fernando Alonso retired from the race due to an engine problem. Lance Stroll also exited on the seventh lap. Alonso joked about skipping the race for Brazil, a scenario that nearly became reality when his car failed. He noted that the team experienced reliability issues at the worst possible time after a difficult qualifying session.

Formula 1 will travel to Brazil next, followed by a race in Las Vegas. The final two scheduled Grands Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi face uncertainty due to instability in the region.