Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest F1 world champion in Mexico City

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli clinched the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November 2026, with four races of the season still to run. The date differs from the São Paulo weekend a week later, which is sometimes associated with the title.

Antonelli finished third in a turbulent race that Max Verstappen won, with Lewis Hamilton second. The race featured two safety-car periods, several collisions and a red-flag stoppage of about 33 minutes. Antonelli needed only a ninth-place finish or better to take the title whatever his rivals did, so his podium settled it.

At 20 years and 68 days old, the Italian became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, beating the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won his first title. He was also the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The title came in a season of new technical regulations and a strong Mercedes campaign. Attention then turned to the constructors' championship and the remaining races, including the finale in the Gulf.