Antonelli becomes youngest F1 champion after Mexico finish

Kimi Antonelli is 20 years and 68 days old, making him the youngest Formula One world champion in history. The Mercedes driver secured the title on Sunday with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The win for Antonelli came at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He crossed the finish line to become the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. His victory extends his overall lead in the drivers' standings to 119 points, a margin that is now unassailable.

Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, marking his second victory of the season. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari after starting from pole position. The race featured significant drama, including two safety car deployments and multiple crashes. A 33-minute halt occurred with 25 of the 71 laps remaining.

Antonelli communicated with his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, over the team radio. Bonnington told the driver, “Get in there, Kimi. Champion of the world.” Antonelli replied, “We did it thank you so much.” The Italian driver was met by his parents and sister in the pit lane before being surrounded by his crew.

In previous records, Sebastian Vettel was the youngest champion at 23 years and 134 days. Vettel won his first of four titles with Red Bull in 2010. Antonelli told the crowd at the podium that he was speechless and trying to process the event. He described the season as incredible and expressed happiness at sharing the podium with Verstappen and Hamilton.

The race was interrupted on lap 46 when Valtteri Bottas suffered a front-left suspension failure. His Cadillac hit the barriers at turn one. Bottas received medical attention in the car before walking to an ambulance and giving a thumbs up. He was later released from the medical centre. The field restarted with Verstappen in the lead.

Lewis Hamilton led from the start but clashed with teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc cut turn four and went across the grass. Hamilton told his engineer over the radio that he was pushed out by his own teammate. Stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty. Russell finished sixth, a position that eliminated his chance of winning the title.

The final standings saw Verstappen in second, Hamilton in third, and Russell in fourth. Russell trails Antonelli by 130 points. Mercedes leads the constructors' standings with 630 points, compared to Ferrari's 504. The team could clinch that title in Brazil next weekend. Antonelli wrapped an Italian flag around his shoulders on the podium and sprayed champagne.