Kimi Antonelli Becomes Youngest F1 World Champion at Chaotic Mexico City Race

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became Formula One's youngest world champion on Sunday, clinching the title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix. According to Al Jazeera, he was 20 years and 68 days old and his lead in the standings reached an unassailable 119 points.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won a red-flagged, restarted race, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton second. Antonelli is the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

A record broken, an emotional finish

Antonelli broke the mark set by Germany's Sebastian Vettel, who won the first of his four titles with Red Bull in 2010 at 23 years and 134 days old, Al Jazeera reported. Euronews said the result was also Antonelli's 16th career podium.

Al Jazeera reported that Antonelli sobbed with joy over the team radio as he crossed the line. His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, told him he was champion of the world. Antonelli said he backed off on the last lap because he could not see the track through his emotion. His parents and sister were waiting when he climbed out of the car, and his pit crew then mobbed him.

“I'm speechless. I'm trying to process what has just happened,” Antonelli told the crowd. He later said it had been an incredible season and that he looked forward to more battles with Verstappen and Hamilton. Euronews reported that he had fallen ill before the race weekend and missed Thursday's media day.

How the race unfolded

Hamilton started from pole position and led away, the first pole for Ferrari at a full Grand Prix, according to Al Jazeera. On the fourth lap, he battled his teammate Charles Leclerc, who cut turn four and ran across the grass. Verstappen took second place from Hamilton as the Ferrari ran wide. Hamilton said over the radio that he had been pushed out by his own teammate. Stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty, but he stayed ahead of Hamilton after their pit stops.

The race was stopped after a safety car on lap 46 of 71, when Valtteri Bottas suffered a high-speed front-left suspension failure in his Cadillac and hit the barriers at turn one. Al Jazeera reported that Bottas received medical attention in the car, then walked to an ambulance giving a thumbs-up, and was released from the medical centre. The halt lasted 33 minutes.

Verstappen led from the restart. Another safety car followed when Lindblad and Piastri collided, and the field was released again with nine laps remaining. Hamilton finished a close second. Leclerc was fourth, McLaren's outgoing champion Lando Norris fifth and Antonelli's teammate George Russell sixth. Russell had made a poor start and was given a 10-second penalty for a collision with Hadjar.

Euronews reported that Verstappen, a four-time world champion, claimed his sixth victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix. He joked that “Max-ico” would be a great name for the race. Hamilton, visibly irritated, said Ferrari had the pace to win and that the team needed serious talks behind the scenes.

What this means for the standings

Verstappen moved up to second in the drivers' standings, with Hamilton third. Russell, the preseason favorite, dropped to fourth, 130 points behind Antonelli, according to Al Jazeera.

The result also puts Mercedes in a strong position in the constructors' championship. The team has 630 points to Ferrari's 504 and could clinch that title in Brazil next weekend.

What happens next

F1 now travels to Brazil and then to Las Vegas, Euronews reported. The final races of the season are scheduled for Qatar and Abu Dhabi, although it remains unclear whether both will go ahead as planned amid ongoing regional instability.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, Euronews