When Mercedes selected Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 Formula 1 season, many questioned whether an 18-year-old Italian could handle the pressure of succeeding one of the sport’s most decorated drivers. Few could have expected him to become world champion just two years later.

Antonelli secured the title in Mexico with four races still remaining. At 20 years, two months and seven days, he became the youngest champion in Formula 1 history and the first Italian to win the championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

His promotion to Mercedes was announced on August 31, 2024. At the time, Antonelli’s record did not necessarily suggest an immediate path to the top. He was sixth in Formula 2 that season, with two podium finishes, both victories, and ultimately ended the year in sixth place.

His debut Formula 1 season was also uneven. Between Imola and Zandvoort in 2025, he failed to score in seven of nine races, finished tenth in another and took one third-place result. However, his lack of experience became an advantage when the 2026 regulations changed the way the cars had to be driven.

The new cars required drivers to approach corners more slowly in order to recharge the battery before deploying maximum power on the straights. After 19 races, some experienced drivers were still adapting to the technique. Antonelli, with fewer established habits from previous generations of cars, adjusted immediately.

He won five of the first six races of the season and finished second in the other. His Mercedes teammate George Russell, despite having considerably more experience, struggled to maintain the runner-up position as the gap to Antonelli continued to grow. The new requirement to lift off in corners proved particularly difficult for him.

Antonelli’s record-breaking title is also a major milestone for Italian motorsport. He is the country’s third Formula 1 world champion and the first Italian winner since Ascari’s 1953 title. He also lowered Sebastian Vettel’s previous record for the youngest champion by more than three years.

With Antonelli immediately comfortable with the new driving style and Mercedes providing the dominant car, his first championship has raised the question of how long his reign at the top of Formula 1 might last.

Sources: Motorpasión.