Antonelli, 20, is youngest F1 champion as Verstappen wins

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history Sunday, clinching the 2026 title at age 20 by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, a race won by Max Verstappen, Formula 1 said.

The Mercedes driver needed only ninth place to secure the championship, Formula 1 said. At 20 years and 68 days, he broke Sebastian Vettel’s record by about three years, Sky Sports reported, and became the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

“I’m speechless,” Antonelli said after the race. “I’m trying to process what has just happened.” He thanked Mercedes and his family and said the moment would live forever.

Antonelli has 380 points with four rounds left, 119 ahead of Verstappen, according to RaceFans standings. Only 100 points remain available. “Kimi Antonelli” drew more than 50,000 searches in Canada on Google Trends over the past day, with “F1 standings” and “F1 results” among the related terms.

The final top 10, after post-race penalties, was Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russell, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar and Ryo Hirakawa. Canada’s Lance Stroll of Aston Martin is 22nd in the standings and has yet to score this season, RaceFans listed.

Verstappen beat Hamilton to the line by 0.7 seconds for his sixth win in Mexico City and his third victory in the last four races, Formula 1 said. The Red Bull driver started fifth and now sits second in the championship, two points ahead of Hamilton.

Ferrari’s drivers fought each other for the lead early in the race. Hamilton started from pole, his first with the team, but Leclerc challenged him around the outside on the opening lap and both left the track at Turn 4. Leclerc crossed the grass to take the lead and Hamilton fell behind Verstappen.

Stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty, which cost him the lead when he and Verstappen pitted together. Team principal Fred Vasseur told Canal+ that the incident was hard to swallow and that the team would sort it out, Formula 1 reported.

The race was stopped when Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac into the barriers after a suspension failure, setting up a standing restart with 26 laps left, Sky Sports said. Mercedes had kept Antonelli out in the hope of a safety car, which came one lap after he stopped. He passed Leclerc after the restart and followed Verstappen and Hamilton to the flag.

The order kept changing after the finish. Oscar Piastri took a 10-second penalty for a collision with Arvid Lindblad and dropped to 13th in the RaceFans classification. Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were penalized for not slowing under yellow flags, which lifted Hirakawa, on his F1 debut, into a points finish.

Antonelli has said he will keep racing with No. 12 in 2027 instead of taking the champion’s No. 1, RaceFans reported. Verstappen’s other wins this fall include the Singapore Grand Prix.

Sources: Formula 1, Sky Sports, RaceFans, The Associated Press via The Canadian Press.

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