Wolff: Antonelli’s title felt different from Hamilton’s

Kimi Antonelli clinched the 2026 Formula 1 world title in Mexico on Sunday. Toto Wolff said the championships with Lewis Hamilton made him feel part of the history of an all-time great and would stay with him for life. Antonelli’s victory, he said, felt different.

Wolff illustrated that contrast with a birthday anecdote. A few weeks earlier, he recalled, he tried to contact Antonelli and asked where the young driver was. He said he was told Antonelli was at a water park for his birthday. “For me, he’s still the kid,” Wolff said, adding that it was “so refreshing.”

At 20, Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion, in only his second season and with four rounds still remaining.