Kimi Antonelli’s meteoric rise to becoming the youngest Formula One champion feels like the realisation of his destiny.
The 20-year-old Italian’s staggering march to the title has been a formality for a number of races and, barring calamity, his place in history will be sealed at Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
The curly-haired kid from Bologna was unearthed and signed by Mercedes aged 12 as a karting superstar. He marched through the junior formulas – winning a string of titles before eventually skipping F3 altogether.
Racing is in Antonelli’s blood. Father Marco – who competed in Italian Superturismo and European Touring Car – owns his own team but was reluctant for his son to take up racing.
“Financially, it’s a very difficult sport when you don’t have the right support. I’ll always be very grateful to Mercedes because they were the ones gambling on me when I was very little,” Kimi – not named after former F1 champion Raikkonen – said.
“So that’s why my dad didn’t want me to race because, unfortunately, when he was racing himself, he had to face this reality. He couldn’t keep going with his racing career so then he started his own team.
“He didn’t want me to face the same kind of disappointments. He just wanted to protect me. But then he saw I had passion, so decided to give it a go.”
Two race wins as an F2 rookie were the latest show of Antonelli’s supreme talent.
When Lewis Hamilton shocked the F1 world by announcing his blockbuster move to Ferrari in January 2024, attention turned to how Mercedes would replace the seven-time world champion.
But Toto Wolff and Mercedes knew they had the answer within their ranks, announcing the then 18-year-old Antonelli ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
Long since lauded as a generational talent, this was the kid who would be king, the chosen one. But that’s a lot of pressure for a teenager, let alone one stepping into the fireproof boots of a seven-time world champion.
And so to that Italian GP, Antonelli handed his F1 debut in practice. It ended after 10 minutes after a thumping crash into the barriers at the Albareto Curve.
Eyebrows raised. His full debut came in Melbourne at the start of 2025. He was 16th in qualifying, after damaging his Mercedes on the gravel, but recovered to claim fourth in a rain-hit opener.
His maiden season was a tale of ups and downs. There were moments of sparkle – a maiden podium in Canada, second in Brazil. And moments of shambles – crashing into Max Verstappen in Austria amid a run of six races that yielded just three points.
The questions were inevitable – was this all just a little too much, too soon?
But Wolff and Mercedes never blinked. As the Austrian puts it: “You can’t accelerate a donkey.” He knew the raw speed was there.
“People in other teams said he shouldn’t even be in Formula One,” Wolff said. “All of that now is extremely satisfying to see what he’s able to deliver.”
Antonelli finished seventh in his debut season, with three podiums. Respectable, especially given a largely uncompetitive Mercedes.
That all changed with the new 2026 regulations. Mercedes’ was, by a distance, the dominant car. The heavy title favourite, therefore, was George Russell.
In his fifth season with Mercedes, the British driver had the experience. A thumping win in Melbourne only added to that view but Antonelli stepped it up. His first F1 win came at the second race in China and he won the next four as well – including becoming the youngest winner of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Antonelli’s youthful exuberance shines through his driving – never more so than when he carved through the field from the back of the grid to claim victory on home soil at Monza.
Antonelli has blown his rivals out of the water. Nine wins, prior to Mexico, to Russell’s three. He has never looked like yielding that early advantage.
A championship win is a staggering achievement for a 20-year-old, Mexico being just his 43rd Grand Prix start.
“This is the work of nine years, the hardship over nine years, the integration of the team, the 10 or more spent millions in the development of his career, of his ability, of his character together with his parents,” Wolff said.
Antonelli went to visit the grave of his “racing hero” Ayrton Senna during last season’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Next week, he looks set to return to Brazil having emulated his idol.
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