Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest driver to win a world title in Formula 1 history. The achievement took place on November 1, 2026, following the results of the Mexican Grand Prix. Antonelli secured the 2026 season championship at 20 years, 2 months, and 7 days old, competing in only his second season in the category for the Mercedes team.
With this victory, the driver born in Bologna breaks the previous record held by German driver Sebastian Vettel, who won the 2010 championship for Red Bull at 23 years, 4 months, and 11 days old. In addition to surpassing Vettel's mark for precocity, Antonelli also becomes the first Italian to win the Formula 1 world championship in 73 years. The last Italian driver to claim the title was Alberto Ascari, a two-time champion with Ferrari in 1952 and 1953, following Giuseppe Farina in the inaugural 1950 season.
Antonelli's campaign with Mercedes also made history through other statistical milestones. The driver became the fourth competitor to claim the title within a maximum of two seasons in the category, a feat previously achieved only by Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio in the opening editions, along with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 and Lewis Hamilton in 2008. With the conclusion of the Mexican round, four races remain before the end of the season, matching the early-title achievement of Sebastian Vettel in 2012 and Max Verstappen in 2022. Throughout the 2026 championship, the young Italian also set records as the youngest leader, the youngest to win three consecutive rounds, and the earliest to secure a pole position.
