Kimi Antonelli becomes Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20

Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, securing the drivers’ title at 20 years and 68 days. According to BBC Sport, the Italian has broken the record held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 133 days old when he won his first championship in 2010. Antonelli has achieved the milestone in his second season.

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The Mercedes driver made his Formula 1 race debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 18. His title-winning campaign has already produced several other age records. He became the youngest driver to take pole position in China, then the youngest championship leader at the following race in Japan. He turned 20 on 25 August.

Another record followed in Monaco, where Antonelli became the youngest driver to complete a grand slam: taking pole, winning, setting the fastest lap and leading every lap. His championship follows a difficult rookie year in which he finished with 150 points, compared with team-mate George Russell’s 319. The title marks a sharp change from that first season’s results.

BBC Sport’s separate account of Antonelli’s development reported that he took six poles and six wins in the opening 11 races of 2026, building a 50-point championship lead. Mercedes faced stronger challenges from McLaren and then Red Bull in the second half of the season, but Antonelli continued to compete at the front after the team’s earlier advantage narrowed.

His Italian Grand Prix victory provided a particularly striking example. An engine penalty left him starting 19th, yet he recovered to win at Monza. With assistance from a safety-car period, Antonelli caught Russell in the closing laps. That success came at the circuit where he had crashed in practice in both 2024 and 2025, setbacks discussed in the BBC’s reporting.

Antonelli’s route to Mercedes began long before his grand prix debut. The team scouted him while he was karting, and he subsequently progressed through Formula 4 and Formula Regional. Mercedes prepared him for Formula 1 with roughly 20 days of testing in older cars. That programme preceded the rookie season that has now been followed by a record-breaking championship.