Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won the Formula 1 world championship in only his second season, completing a remarkable 2026 campaign with Mercedes. At 20 years and two months, the Bologna-born driver became the youngest champion in the history of the series, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s previous record from 2010, when the German was 23 years, four months and 11 days old.
Antonelli’s title followed nine victories and a season marked by speed, consistency and strong race management. After finishing second in Australia, he claimed the first win of his career in China and then triumphed in Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco, taking five victories in the opening six rounds.
His progress was also tested by setbacks. An electrical problem forced him to retire from second place in Barcelona, while he finished third in Austria and 15th in Great Britain. Antonelli responded by winning in Belgium and adding podium finishes in Hungary and the Netherlands, showing the ability to collect valuable points even when victory was out of reach.
One of the defining moments came at Monza on September 6. Starting from the back of the grid at his home race, Antonelli produced a major comeback to win the Italian Grand Prix. He followed that result with another victory in Spain. After qualifying 16th in Azerbaijan because of an error in Q1, he recovered to finish fifth, before taking second in Bahrain and third in Singapore.
The main challenge to Antonelli came from within Mercedes, where George Russell remained his closest rival for much of the season. After the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11, Antonelli led the standings with 340 points, 102 more than Russell. He then won in Austin for his ninth victory of the season, although the championship celebrations were delayed by one week.
The title was finally secured at the Mexican Grand Prix. Antonelli finished third at the circuit named after Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez, sharing the podium with multiple world champions Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The result confirmed a historic championship in the Italian driver’s second Formula 1 season.
Sources: ANSA Sport.