To become a Formula 1 World Champion is no easy feat. Some drivers spend years chasing their first title, while others spend decades in the sport without ever reaching that milestone. So for 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli to achieve it in only his second season of Formula 1 is certainly one for the history books.

When the young Italian crossed the finish line of the Mexico City Grand Prix, celebrations erupted over the team radio. Fans around the world cheered for him, and Italy welcomed its first Formula 1 World Champion since 1953.

It was the culmination of a journey that began long before he ever stepped into a Formula 1 car.

The making of a champion

For Antonelli, racing has always been a part of his life. Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, at the heart of the country’s famed Motor Valley, he grew up surrounded by racing culture.

His father, Marco Antonelli, is a racing driver and the founder of AKM Motorsport, the team where Kimi spent much of his childhood immersed in the world of motorsport. Long before Formula 1 came calling, Kimi was already learning the rhythms of the paddock through his father. Weekends were spent around race cars, garages and circuits, and the language of motorsport became second nature.

He began karting at just five years old, quickly making a name for himself through a series of impressive performances and championship wins. His development continued through the junior karting categories, including his time with Nico Rosberg’s racing academy.

Mercedes took notice of his potential early on, signing him to its Junior Programme in 2019, when he was only 12 years old. From there, his progression through the junior single-seater categories was remarkable.

In 2022, Antonelli won both the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 championships. The following year, he added the Formula Regional Middle East and European titles to his growing list of achievements. He continued to collect victories and championships, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport.

By the time he reached Formula 2 in 2024, the expectations surrounding him were already enormous. Mercedes had seen enough to believe he was ready to take the next step, and when Lewis Hamilton announced his departure for Ferrari, Antonelli was chosen to take his place alongside George Russell.

At just 18 years old, he was heading straight into one of the most demanding seats in Formula 1.

Learning the ropes

Kimi’s rookie year in Formula 1 wasn’t as clean-cut as his sophomore season. He experienced several retirements, finished outside the points on multiple occasions, and made the rookie mistakes that come with learning to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The pressure was understandable. He was a teenager stepping into the seat of a seven-time World Champion, carrying the expectations of Mercedes and the attention of an entire sport. There were plenty of people who questioned whether he was ready, with some believing it was too soon to promote him directly into a top team.

Even Mercedes faced criticism for the decision. Team principal Toto Wolff recently revealed, “We had two sponsors who left us” because of the team’s choice to put the then-18-year-old Antonelli in Hamilton’s seat. It was a decision that came with plenty of outside doubt, and his difficult rookie season gave those critics further reason to question the gamble.

When reflecting on his 2025 campaign, Antonelli admitted: “I let the pressure kind of destroy me.”

It was a difficult period for the young driver, who was still adjusting to the demands of Formula 1 while trying to prove that Mercedes had made the right decision.

But those challenges also gave him room to grow. With the support of his team, Antonelli was able to reset, rebuild his confidence and gain a better understanding of what was required to compete consistently at the front. He returned with more experience, awareness and composure, qualities that would become especially important during his championship campaign.

The final stretch: a championship taking shape

By the middle of the 2026 season, many fans were already making their predictions: Antonelli was going to be the next Formula 1 World Champion.

After five consecutive victories across the opening stages of the season, the young Italian looked unstoppable. His first Grand Prix victory came in China, marking a major milestone in his career. From there, the wins continued to come, and even on weekends when he didn’t appear to have the strongest pace, he continued pushing the car to extract everything he could.

By the time the United States Grand Prix in Austin arrived, Antonelli had already secured eight race victories. The possibility of clinching the championship there was very real.

All he needed was to win the race, which he did. However, the additional results required from his closest championship rivals, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, did not fall Antonelli’s way. The title would have to wait.

Still, his victory in Austin put him in an incredibly strong position heading into Mexico. Antonelli needed just two more points at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to secure the championship, regardless of where his closest rivals finished.

And he delivered.

The Mexico City Grand Prix brought together three generations of Formula 1 talent on the podium. Max Verstappen took victory, Lewis Hamilton finished second, and Antonelli secured third place, earning the points he needed to become World Champion.

But the significance of that podium went far beyond the finishing positions. Standing alongside Antonelli were two of the sport’s most accomplished drivers: Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, and Verstappen, a four-time World Champion. Together, they welcomed Formula 1’s newest champion, a 20-year-old who had just rewritten the record books and made history of his own.

In a moment that captured the significance of the occasion, Hamilton and Verstappen lifted Antonelli onto their shoulders in celebration. It was a remarkable sight: two established champions raising the sport’s newest World Champion, a fitting symbol of a passing of the torch between generations. Three World Champions, from three different stages of their careers, sharing one podium. A podium of champions, and perhaps one of the most symbolic images of the 2026 season.

A new name in the history books

From his first-ever Grand Prix victory in China to his first World Championship title in Mexico, 2026 will forever be remembered as the year of Antonelli.

At just 20 years old, he became the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history, taking the record from Sebastian Vettel. He also became Italy’s first World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, bringing the country back to the top of the sport after more than seven decades.

And one of the things that stands out about Kimi is how grounded he has remained throughout his championship campaign. He has never been particularly boastful about his victories or made winning a championship sound like an easy task. In fact, he only began openly addressing the possibility of becoming World Champion after his victory in Austin.

Throughout the season, he has continued to come across as a happy, kind and humble young man, qualities that fans have noticed and grown to appreciate. For many, that’s part of what makes Antonelli so easy to support.

His journey also reflects the trust Mercedes placed in a young driver when it gave him one of the most high-profile seats in Formula 1. After a difficult first season filled with questions and criticism, the team stood by its decision, and Antonelli delivered a championship in only his second year.

From a five-year-old boy growing up around race cars in Bologna to standing on the podium in Mexico as Formula 1’s youngest-ever World Champion, his journey has been remarkable.

Forza Kimi! Italy has a new World Champion, and Formula 1 has a new name at the top of its history books.