Kimi Antonelli has made historical past by changing into the youngest title winner within the 77th 12 months of the System 1 World Championship.
The Italian, at 20 years and 68 days, has crushed the report of Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 133 days outdated when he gained the primary of his 4 drivers' championships in 2010.
Antonelli, who was nonetheless a young person till 25 August, has secured the title in his second season within the sport.
We check out F1's different younger champions and the way Antonelli's achievement compares with theirs.
Kimi Antonelli
First championship: 2026
Age: 20 years and 68 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Second full season
F1 debut: 2025 Australian Grand Prix (aged 18)
Antonelli has already damaged a lot of information on the way in which to changing into F1's youngest champion.
In his second season, he turned the youngest driver to attain a pole place in China and the youngest to steer the championship on the subsequent race in Japan.
In Monaco, he turned the youngest driver to finish a 'grand slam' of pole place, quickest lap, main each lap and profitable the race.
All this after a rookie season in 2025 by which there have been occasional highs however loads of errors, and his ultimate complete of 150 factors was lower than half of the 319 collected by Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Sebastian Vettel
First championship: 2010
Age: 23 years and 133 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Third full season
F1 debut: 2007 US Grand Prix (aged 19)
Vettel was one among 4 drivers who may win the title going into the season-ending 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He was removed from the most effective positioned, although, trailing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by 15 factors earlier than the race and his Crimson Bull team-mate Mark Webber by seven.
The German did what he needed to do by profitable the grand prix and Alonso may solely end seventh, having grow to be caught behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.
With Webber in eighth, Vettel gained the championship by 4 factors from Alonso.
It was yet one more F1 report for Vettel. He had grow to be the youngest F1 factors scorer on his debut for BMW Sauber in Indianapolis in 2007, earlier than changing into the then youngest pole sitter and race winner on the 2008 Italian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso.
Lewis Hamilton
First championship: 2008
Age: 23 years and 300 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Second full season
F1 debut: 2007 Australian Grand Prix (aged 22)
Lewis Hamilton's debut season in 2007 virtually delivered a fairytale title however he faltered within the ultimate two races of the 12 months.
He failed to attain in China and completed seventh in Brazil, which allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to pip each Hamilton and fellow McLaren driver Fernando Alonso by a single level.
In some way the climax to the 2008 championship, additionally in Brazil, was much more dramatic.
Hamilton was battling for the title with Ferrari's dwelling favorite Felipe Massa and the Briton's fourth place was going to be sufficient to safe the crown when a late rain bathe modified all the pieces.
Chief Massa and Hamilton had been amongst those that modified to intermediate tyres however Toyota's Timo Glock stayed out, which lifted him as much as fourth.
Hamilton, now in fifth, had Toro Rosso's Vettel proper behind him and couldn't afford to lose one other place. With simply over two laps to go, he ran broad and Vettel was by way of.
Massa crossed the road to win the race with Hamilton nonetheless sixth. The Ferrari pit crew, Massa's household and the Brazilian followers celebrated however with the rain intensifying, Glock was slowing on his dry-weather tyres and Hamilton handed him into the ultimate nook to take the title by a single level. It was heart-stopping stuff.
Fernando Alonso
First championship: 2005
Age: 24 years and 57 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Fourth full season
F1 debut: 2001 Australian Grand Prix (aged 19)
Alonso established management of the 2005 championship early within the season by profitable 4 of the primary seven races and by no means relinquished it.
The Spaniard's pace and consistency ensured he prevailed over Raikkonen, whose McLaren-Mercedes was quick however fragile. A 3rd place on the Brazilian Grand Prix was sufficient to provide Alonso the title with two races to spare.
He gained a second consecutive title in 2006, additionally for Renault, and the 45-year-old stays one of many nice personalities and excellent abilities in F1.
He'll be again for an additional season with Aston Martin in 2027, 26 years after his debut for Minardi.
Max Verstappen
First championship: 2021
Age: 24 years and 73 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Seventh full season
F1 debut: 2015 Australian Grand Prix (aged 17)
Hamilton gained the title on the ultimate lap of the 2008 season however he would lose it on the ultimate lap in 2021 in circumstances that stay a supply of big controversy.
His rival in an exciting and intense season-long duel was Crimson Bull's Max Verstappen. There have been loads of flashpoints alongside the way in which and all of it got here to a climax in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen and Hamilton went into the ultimate race of the season degree on factors. The Dutchman certified on pole however Mercedes' Hamilton beat him off the road and largely managed the race thereafter, till Williams' Nicholas Latifi crashed with 5 laps to go, bringing out a security automotive.
Hamilton didn’t have sufficient of a bonus over second-placed Verstappen to pit for recent tyres and keep the lead, so stayed out. Verstappen, with nothing to lose, got here in and fitted softs.
Race director Michael Masi allowed the lapped automobiles between Hamilton and Verstappen to go previous, however not these behind the Crimson Bull. He allowed the race to restart for one ultimate racing lap and Verstappen overtook Hamilton, who was a sitting duck on his outdated laborious tyres.
Verstappen and Hamilton, in their very own methods, had been each shocked and Mercedes staff boss Toto Wolff shouted over the radio to Masi: "No, Michael, no! That was so not proper!"
As occurred with Vettel from 2010-13, this was the primary of 4 consecutive titles for a Crimson Bull driver with Verstappen dominating the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Emerson Fittipaldi
First championship: 1972
Age: 25 years and 273 days
Stage of his F1 profession when title was gained: Second full season
F1 debut: 1970 British Grand Prix (aged 23)
Emerson Fittipaldi turned the primary Brazilian driver to win the F1 world title in 1972, with 5 wins from 12 races sufficient for the Lotus driver to get the higher of Jackie Stewart.
Fittipaldi would safe one other drivers' title for McLaren two years later however his race-winning days, in F1 not less than, had been over as soon as he joined his brother's Fittipaldi staff in 1976. He would have late-career success in IndyCars, profitable the 1989 title and the Indy 500 twice, in 1989 and 1993.
He remained F1's youngest champion for 33 years till Alonso's first title ushered in an period the place the report would change arms extra repeatedly.
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