Kimi Antonelli is the Formula 1 World Champion. The Mercedes driver from Bologna clinched the title on Sunday, November 1, in Mexico City with four races to spare. At twenty years old, he becomes the youngest champion in history and the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953 with Ferrari.

The Mexico City Race

Antonelli needed only a ninth-place finish to mathematically secure the crown, regardless of the results of Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell. Starting from fourth on the grid, he crossed the line in third at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, four seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Hamilton (Ferrari) finished second, just 0.799 seconds behind Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc fourth and Lando Norris fifth.

The 71-lap race was red-flagged on lap 46 following a heavy crash for Valtteri Bottas, who climbed out of the car unaided and was taken to the medical center for precautionary checks. Following a standing restart, a late-race Safety Car bunched up the pack. Verstappen, who had started fifth, nailed the restart with eight laps to go and held off Hamilton all the way to the checkered flag, claiming his third victory of the season.

After the race, Antonelli thanked Mercedes and his family — stating that without them, he would not be standing there — and admitted he was at a loss for words.

From Shanghai to Mexico

His championship campaign turned a corner in Shanghai on March 15: in just the second race of the season, he claimed his maiden career pole position and first victory at nineteen and a half years old. An Italian driver had not won a Grand Prix in twenty years, since Giancarlo Fisichella’s triumph in Malaysia on March 19, 2006.

That ignited a run of five consecutive victories: Shanghai, Suzuka (where he became the youngest championship leader in F1 history), Miami, Montreal, and Monaco. No driver before him had ever won their first four career victories back-to-back.

The toughest stretch arrived right after: a retirement in Barcelona due to a mechanical issue, a third-place finish in Austria, and zero points at Silverstone. Title doubts began to surface, but across the next ten races—Mexico included—Antonelli stood on the podium nine times.

The defining performance remains Monza on September 6: starting 19th due to an engine component penalty, he pulled off 26 overtakes to take the win, finishing nearly four seconds ahead of Russell. It was the first home victory by an Italian driver at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

In Austin on October 25, Antonelli converted pole position into his ninth win of the year ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen. Following the Mexican GP, his unassailable mathematical lead in the standings stands at 119 points: 380 points for Antonelli against 261 for Verstappen in second, with Russell currently fourth on 250 points.