Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the Formula 1 world champion. Third place in the Mexican Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, secures the 2026 title for the Mercedes driver with four races still to go.
At just twenty years old, the Bologna-born driver becomes the youngest champion in the category’s history and brings an Italian back to the top of the world 73 years after Alberto Ascari’s title in 1953. It is a victory that resonates in San Marino too, where Antonelli lives and returns between race weekends.
In Mexico City, a win was not required. Kimi arrived with a 123-point lead over teammate George Russell and 124 over Hamilton: ninth place alone would have been enough to settle every account. Instead, he claimed a podium finish, while Russell finished sixth. Charles Leclerc was fourth, ahead of Lando Norris.
The title crowns a season built on nine victories before the Mexican round. The first win in China opened a run of five consecutive triumphs, continuing in Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco.
Antonelli went on to win in Belgium, at Monza, in Spain and in Austin, steadily extending his lead over his rivals. In his second season in Formula 1, driving the Mercedes that once carried Hamilton’s legacy, he turned his title challenge into an advantage that became increasingly difficult to overturn.
Monza and Austin proved decisive milestones. In front of the Italian crowd, he secured a victory of particular significance. In Texas, he claimed his ninth win of the season, finishing more than thirteen seconds ahead of Leclerc and arriving in Mexico just two points short of mathematical certainty.
His journey remains closely tied to San Marino. Antonelli lives on the Titano, and in January 2025 he sat his driving test there, shortly before his Formula 1 debut. The Republic is also home to his family’s motorsport business, run by his father Marco.
The bond was reaffirmed through his encounters with the San Marino public. In September, as a guest at Sport in Fiera, Kimi spoke to young fans about his ambitions: “To become world champion and to become one of the greatest drivers of all time.”
The first goal became reality on the podium in Mexico, between Verstappen and Hamilton, at the end of the race that delivered him the 2026 World Championship.
