Kimi Antonelli has been confirmed as Formula 1's 2026 world champion, sealing the title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The result mathematically ended the fight with four rounds still to run, with the Mercedes driver's tally now unassailable at the top of the standings.
Max Verstappen won in Mexico City, with Lewis Hamilton second and Antonelli completing the podium four seconds back.
The Italian's third place was enough, given his lead over nearest rival George Russell heading into the weekend. It sealed Antonelli's place in F1 history as the youngest world champion, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record.
Kimi Antonelli's staggering journey to the top of F1
Antonelli's route to the title began in Mercedes' junior programme, which he joined in 2019 at just 12 years old.
After sweeping European karting titles, he dominated Italian and ADAC Formula 4 in 2022 before Mercedes made the unconventional call to skip him past Formula 3 entirely, fast-tracking him into Formula 2 for 2024.
The Brackley-based squad backed that decision with an extensive testing programme in older machinery, covering roughly 9,000 kilometres across circuits including Imola, Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring to prepare him for a senior seat.
His rookie campaign in 2025 started with highlights such as Sprint pole in Miami, before a disastrous run of scoring just a single point across the European races.
However, the new power unit regulations saw a rejuvenated Antonelli, who clearly learnt hugely from his mistakes across his debut season.
Mercedes built an early technical edge with the W17 that allowed Antonelli to win five of the first six rounds, laying the foundation for his title push. In Monaco, he was untouchable in converting pole into victory.
Arguably, his highlight on his way to the world title was a statement victory at home in Monza, where he climbed from 19th on the grid to claim a staggering victory.
At the Circuit of the Americas, a one-stop strategy delivered his ninth win of the campaign at a track where Mercees were expected to struggle.
In the end, third in Mexico City was enough for Antonelli's name to be written in history. The big question: just how many titles will he go onto claim?
Most read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!