Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who drives for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, secured the 2026 World Driver’s Championship title at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday 1 November after a respectable third place finish in the race.

In doing so, Antonelli wrote his name in the history books forever, becoming the youngest F1 champion of all time at just 20 years old. This smashed the previous record of Sebastian Vettel by three years and 66 days. 

Antonelli is also the first Italian driver to be crowned world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, establishing him as a prodigy destined for greatness in the world of motorsport. 

In a season of ups and downs, Antonelli has been consistently the best driver on the grid, at the time of writing winning nine and clinching sixteen podiums across the nineteen grand prix this season. This places him comfortably at the top of the driver’s championship table on 380 points, 119 points ahead of Netherland’s Max Verstappen in second place. With just four scheduled Grand Prix remaining, and only 116 points currently left for grabs, it’s safe to say Antonelli significantly outperformed any of his competitors. 

The Mexican Grand Prix itself was no stranger to excitement and drama, given the championship was on the line going into the race weekend. After an unpredictable qualifying session, Lewis Hamilton started on pole, with Antonelli down in fifth.

Therefore it was unsurprising that race day was far from straightforward. Antonelli only needed to finish ninth or above to be crowned champion, but a red flag and two safety cars meant nothing was set in stone. A decisive move at turn one on the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc after the race restart allowed Antonelli to climb into the podium positions and finish in third, behind winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Overcome with emotion, Antonelli sobbed tears of joy over the team radio after meeting the chequered flag. “We did it,” he said, thanking Mercedes and his family, stating that the moment is one that “will live forever.” On the podium, Verstappen (four-time world champion) and Lewis Hamilton (seven-time world champion) hoisted him onto their shoulders, before he then leapt into the arms of his parents. Despite being able to race with the number 1 next season, an honour reserved for the reigning champion since 1974, he plans to continue racing with the number 12, paying tribute to his idol Ayrton Senna. In fact, at the Brazilian Grand Prix he will be wearing a Senna themed helmet.

On the other hand, for his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, the day was much harder. After beginning the season as the bookmakers’ favourite for the title and being the far more experienced driver, the pressure was definitely on, which appears to have affected him. Instead, so far, Antonelli has nine wins to Russell’s three, and the two are separated by 130 points. In fact, in order to keep his title hopes alive, Russell needed to win in Mexico, yet only managed to conjure up a sixth place finish, after receiving a ten second time penalty for a collision on lap one with Isack Hadjar. 

He subsequently left the track without attending his mandatory media duties, resulting in a €5,000 fine for Mercedes. Team boss Toto Wolff was quick to defend him though. He called it a “catastrophic moment” for any racing driver and said that his decision to leave was entirely understandable. He also stated that he would have been more surprised had he stayed. A day later, Russell broke his silence and congratulated his teammate, saying “you truly deserve the Championship.” He added that “2026 was not meant to be my year” and admitted it had actually been the most difficult season of his Formula 1 career.

Antonelli graciously responded, acknowledging that Russell had suffered “a little bit more” bad luck than he had, whilst also backing his teammate to be a major threat in the 2027 season. The Italian has little time to celebrate though, as he now seeks to secure the Constructor’s Championship with Mercedes. The pressure is also definitely on for him to defend his title in the coming season, with plenty of competition seeking out the same Championship glory. 

All information correct as of 7 November 2026