Antonelli wins 2026 F1 title as youngest champion

Kimi Antonelli has won the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship at age 20, becoming the youngest champion in the sport’s history and breaking a record held by Sebastian Vettel for more than 15 years. A Formula 1 statistical breakdown puts Antonelli’s age at 20 years and 68 days when he secured the title, more than three years younger than Vettel was when he became champion in 2010. Another championship listing gives Antonelli’s age as 20 years, two months and seven days. Both accounts place him at 20 and identify him as the new record-holder. Antonelli is the sixth driver to win the title in the same season as his first Grand Prix victory, according to the statistical breakdown. The previous driver to achieve that feat was Keke Rosberg in 1982. The breakdown also says Antonelli clinched the championship with four rounds remaining, though it noted that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races were in doubt. His victory makes Italy joint fifth among countries by number of Formula 1 drivers’ championships, with Italian drivers having won four titles. The earlier three Italian championships came in the first four years of the competition, won by Giuseppe Farina and Alberto Ascari, who took...