Antonelli’s F1 title came after 43 starts, 13th on all-time list

Kimi Antonelli needed 43 Grand Prix starts to win the Formula 1 title, placing him 13th on the all-time list of champions who needed the fewest starts. Third place in the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix secured the championship in his second season.

Juan Manuel Fangio needed the fewest starts once Giuseppe Farina’s title is set aside: he became champion in 1951 after 13 starts, at the end of his second season. Farina’s six-start title came in 1950, the first year of the world championship.

Antonelli is the fifth driver to win a first title in his first or second season. Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton also became champions in their second seasons, after 33 and 35 starts respectively.