Italian driver Kimi Antonelli has made Formula One history after becoming the sport’s youngest-ever world champion at 20 years and 68 days old.
The Mercedes driver secured the title on Sunday after finishing third in a dramatic, red-flagged and restarted Mexico City Grand Prix, which was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Antonelli’s third-place finish gave him an unassailable 119-point lead in the championship standings, making him the first Italian driver to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
The emotional moment saw Antonelli break down in tears over the team radio as he crossed the finish line at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, congratulated him, saying: “Get in there, Kimi. Champion of the world.”
An emotional Antonelli responded: “We did it, thank you so much.”
His parents and sister were waiting to embrace him when he stepped out of the car, before members of the Mercedes team joined in the celebrations.
Antonelli has now surpassed Germany’s Sebastian Vettel as the youngest Formula One world champion. Vettel was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first of four titles with Red Bull in 2010.
“I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened,” Antonelli told the crowd.
He described the season as incredible and said sharing the podium with Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton made the achievement even more special.
Hamilton, who started the race from pole position, finished second, while his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was also involved in an on-track clash during an afternoon marked by drama.
The race featured two safety cars, multiple crashes and a 33-minute stoppage with 25 of the 71 laps remaining.
Reflecting on the final lap, Antonelli said he had to ease off because he was overcome with emotion.
“On the last lap, I just backed off because I just couldn’t see the track. I was getting emotional. So it was just good to bring it home,” he said.
The historic victory makes Antonelli the first Italian Formula One world champion in 73 years and marks a new chapter in the sport’s history.