Kimi Antonelli scripted history on Sunday as he became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. At 20 years and 68 days old, he finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix to secure his first world title in only his second F1 season.
With the win, he became the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari, who won consecutive titles for Ferrari in 1952 and 1953.
Here are the top five youngest F1 champions…
Kimi Antonelli: After an up-and-down rookie season, the Italian kicked off 2026 with five consecutive wins, which began with the victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in March. That stretch gave him a championship lead he never conceded. He also won in Belgium and Spain, and scripted a stunning home-soil win at the Italian Grand Prix, becoming the first Italian to win his home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
Antonelli clinched the championship with four races remaining in this season.
Sebastian Vettel: It was the German’s record that Antonelli broke on Sunday. Vettel, who made his F1 debut in 2007, won his maiden championship in 2010, at 23 years and 134 days.
He had entered the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 15 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso and seven behind Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. He won the race, while Alonso finished seventh and Webber eighth, securing Vettel his first world title by just four points.
Lewis Hamilton: Making his F1 debut in the same year as Vettel, Hamilton was on course for the title in 2007 itself. Late-season errors in China and Brazil, however, ended hopes of a championship-winning season.
His victory eventually came a year later, at 23 years and 300 days, in the rain-affected finale in Brazil, where he finished fifth in the race to win the title by a single point.
Hamilton went on to win six more titles, taking his tally to seven and equalling Michael Schumacher’s record.
Fernando Alonso: Over two decades ago, Alonso, at 24 years and 57 days, ended Schumacher and Ferrari’s dominance. With four wins in the first seven races, the Spaniard took over the championship spot, which he never gave up. By September 2005, he secured the title, becoming the F1’s youngest-ever champion at the time, beating Emerson Fittipaldi’s benchmark by a year and a half. Alonso retained the title in 2006, securing back-to-back championships with Renault.
Max Verstappen: Hamilton and Verstappen were tied on 369.5 points when they entered the 2021 Abu Dhabi finale in what was a fiercely contested season. Hamilton led comfortably until Nicholas Latifi’s late crash brought out the safety car. In a controversial move, race director Michael Masi let only some lapped cars pass, setting up a one-lap restart. Verstappen, on fresh soft tyres, passed Hamilton and took his first championship at the age of 24 years and 73 days. The decision remains one of Formula 1’s most hotly disputed.
Verstappen also won in 2022, 2023 and 2024.