Kimi Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion at the age of 20 years and 68 days on Sunday, finishing third for Mercedes in a red-flagged and restarted Mexico City Grand Prix won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Italian, the country’s first F1 champion since 1953, broke down in tears of joy over the team radio as he crossed the finish line at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. His overall lead has now reached an unassailable 119 points.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton started from pole position and finished a close second after a clash with teammate Charles Leclerc, in a dramatic race featuring two safety car deployments, multiple crashes and a 33-minute suspension with 25 of the 71 laps remaining.
“Get in there, Kimi. Champion of the world,” his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, told him over the team radio. Bonnington has often been the target of practical jokes by the young driver.
“We did it. Thank you so much,” an emotional Antonelli said over the team radio. His parents and sister were waiting to embrace him when he stepped out of the car, before members of the Mercedes pit crew surrounded him in celebration.
The previous record holder was Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest Formula One world champion at 23 years and 134 days old in 2010, when he won the first of his four titles with Red Bull.
“I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened,” said Antonelli in comments to the crowd.
“This weekend I did feel a bit more tense, but I’m just so happy that we got it done, and now we can enjoy the rest of the season,” he added.
Italy’s previous Formula One world champion was Alberto Ascari, who won the title 73 years earlier, in 1953.
