From China breakthrough to Mexico City crown: Antonelli’s 2026 title season

Kimi Antonelli needed only ninth place in Mexico City to become Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion. He finished third, passing Charles Leclerc, and sealed his maiden title.

The season began with recovery rather than perfection. A heavy crash in Free Practice 3 in Australia was followed by second place on the grid and in the race. A week later in China, Antonelli earned his first pole and converted it into his maiden win. He won in Japan and Miami too; Japan made him the youngest driver to lead the championship, and Miami made him the first driver to turn his first three poles into victories.

His run was interrupted by costly setbacks. A mechanical problem ended his Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix while he was second. At the British Grand Prix he won the Sprint, but a left-front wheel-shield failure sent him backwards in the Grand Prix and a track-limits penalty left him 16th, reducing his advantage to 25 points.

Antonelli answered in Belgium with a sixth pole and a win, extending his advantage to 45 points as Russell fell out of contention after first-lap contact with Hamilton. At Monza, an engine-related penalty left Antonelli 19th on the grid. He was 14th at the end of lap one, 12th after lap two, then passed Russell for a home victory. The next round, Spain’s all-new Madring, brought a second consecutive win: an early Virtual Safety Car arrived at the wrong moment for Lando Norris, giving Antonelli the lead he controlled to the finish.

Azerbaijan was the low point by Antonelli’s own account. Technical problems cost him practice time, then a Q1 crash left him 16th; he recovered to fifth but called it “the worst weekend of the season for me.” He finished second at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and reached the podium in Singapore.

Antonelli arrived in Austin 102 points ahead of Russell and won, but the title remained open: his two nearest rivals each finished one position better than the result he needed. In Mexico, the title was sealed; on the podium, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton lifted the new champion onto their shoulders.