Antonelli crowned F1's youngest-ever world champion — SkimNews
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- Kimi Antonelli clinched his first F1 world title at 20 in only his second season after replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025; Mercedes teammate George Russell entered as the overwhelming favorite but was increasingly overshadowed.
- Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix for Red Bull, while Antonelli finished third and sealed the championship.
- Sebastian Vettel held the previous youngest-champion record, winning the 2010 title aged 23 years and 134 days; Antonelli broke it by a wide margin.
- Antonelli earned his first victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in March, kicking off five consecutive wins—including Belgium and Spain—that gave him a championship lead he never relinquished.
- Antonelli came from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, becoming the first Italian to win the home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
- Italy ended a 73-year wait for a third F1 world champion through Antonelli, joining Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina (1950) and Alberto Ascari (1952-53) on the country’s title roll.
- Antonelli became F1’s 36th different world champion, following Lando Norris’s 2025 title as the championship went to a first-time winner in consecutive seasons; of the 35 earlier champions, 18 won once and 17 claimed at least two.
Why it matters: Antonelli’s title gives Italy a third F1 world championship, ending a 73-year wait for another, while his victory at Monza creates a second national landmark: the first Italian home Grand Prix winner since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. Italy is represented by three champions on F1’s roll after a 73-year gap between its second and third titles.
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