Kimi Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion at 20 years and 68 days old on Sunday after securing third place for Mercedes in a dramatic, red-flagged Mexico City Grand Prix won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Italian driver celebrated the historic achievement with tears of joy over the team radio as he crossed the finish line at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. His championship lead reached an unassailable 119 points.
Antonelli became Italy’s first Formula One world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73-year wait for another Italian driver to claim the title.
His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, congratulated him over the radio, saying: “Get in there, Kimi. Champion of the world.”
“We did it, thank you so much,” Antonelli replied, struggling to contain his emotions.
His parents and sister were waiting to embrace him when he climbed out of the car, while Mercedes team members surrounded him to celebrate the achievement.
The previous record holder was Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who won his first of four world championships with Red Bull in 2010 at the age of 23 years and 134 days.
Antonelli Reflects on Historic Championship
Speaking to the crowd after the race, Antonelli said he was still trying to process the achievement.
“I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened,” he said.
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“It’s been an incredible season, and to share this podium with Max and Lewis is truly incredible. And looking forward to some more battles in the future.”
He admitted that he had felt extra pressure throughout the weekend but was relieved to secure the championship.
“This weekend I did feel a bit more tense, but I’m just so happy that we got it done, and now we can enjoy the rest of the season,” he added.
Antonelli later revealed that he had backed off during the final lap because emotion had made it difficult to see the track clearly.
“On the last lap, I just backed off because I just couldn’t see the track. I was getting emotional,” he told reporters. “So it was just good to bring it home.”
Verstappen Wins as Championship Standings Shift
Verstappen held on to win his 74th career race and sixth Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing 0.799 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Antonelli crossed the line around four seconds behind the winner.
Hamilton secured second place after a tense afternoon that included a clash with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc finished fourth, while McLaren’s outgoing champion Lando Norris took fifth. Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell finished sixth, ending his remaining hopes of staying in the title race.
The result moved Verstappen into second place in the drivers’ standings, with Hamilton third and Russell fourth, 130 points behind Antonelli.
Mercedes also strengthened its position in the constructors’ championship with 630 points, compared with Ferrari’s 504. The team could secure the title at the Brazilian Grand Prix next weekend.
Penalties Reshape the Final Race Results
The race produced further changes after several post-race penalties.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially finished seventh but received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision, dropping him to 15th.
Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly also lost points after receiving 10-second penalties for exceeding speed limits under yellow flags.
The revised results promoted Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson to seventh, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto to eighth and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar to ninth. Ryo Hirakawa secured 10th place and a point on his Haas debut.
Red Flag Follows Bottas Crash
The race was interrupted on lap 46 of 71 after Valtteri Bottas suffered a high-speed front-left suspension failure on the main straight.
His Cadillac veered uncontrollably towards the barriers at Turn One, prompting race officials to stop the event.
Bottas received medical attention inside the car before climbing out and walking towards an ambulance. He gave a thumbs-up to acknowledge his condition, visited the medical centre and was later released.
Verstappen led after the restart, with Hamilton challenging and Antonelli moving ahead of Leclerc.
A second safety car followed a collision between Lindblad and Piastri. The drivers returned to racing with nine laps remaining, allowing Verstappen to secure victory.
The four-time world champion had also been cleared of a suspected false start before taking the chequered flag.
Ferrari Teammates Clash in Opening Laps
Hamilton started from pole position for the 105th time in his career, marking his first pole for Ferrari at a full Grand Prix. Leclerc lined up third and immediately challenged his teammate.
The two Ferrari drivers battled through the opening corners, with Leclerc cutting Turn Four and crossing the grass during the fight for the lead. Verstappen capitalised on the incident to move ahead of Hamilton.
“Pushed out by my own teammate,” Hamilton said over the team radio.
Stewards handed Leclerc a five-second penalty, but the decision did little to help Hamilton. The two drivers made their pit stops on laps 28 and 29, with Leclerc serving his penalty while remaining ahead.
“The problem with the five-second penalty is he’s got clean air and doesn’t have to manage like the rest of us. He should just give the positions back,” Hamilton said.
Stewards later explained that neither Ferrari would have made the corner on the track given their speed.
Russell also endured a difficult race. After starting on the front row, he made a poor start and dropped to fifth. He later collided with Hadjar, sending the Red Bull driver off track, and received a 10-second penalty.
Hadjar had already pitted for fresh tyres after a virtual safety car was deployed on lap seven when Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin on the circuit.
Antonelli’s third-place finish ultimately overshadowed the afternoon’s incidents, securing his place in Formula One history as the youngest driver to win the world championship.
