Formula 1 has its 36th world champion after Kimi Antonelli clinched his maiden title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Italian youngster reached the summit in just his second season after a stellar campaign with nine wins for Mercedes.
Antonelli, aged 20 years and 68 days, becomes the youngest world champion in F1's 76-year history, shattering Sebastian Vettel's 16-year record (23 years, 134 days in 2010) by a full three years. He joins Jacques Villeneuve (1997) and Lewis Hamilton (2008) in winning a first title in only their second F1 season.
Antonelli also ends Italy's seven-decade wait for a champion — the first since Alberto Ascari in 1953. His nine victories rank second among Italian winners behind Ascari's 13, and his Monza triumph made him the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
Additional records: youngest polesitter (China), youngest to lead the championship (Japan), youngest pole-win-fastest lap hat-trick (China), youngest Grand Slam (Monaco), and the only driver to win multiple races as a teenager (six before turning 20).
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing