F1’s youngest World Champions as Antonelli smashes the record

Kimi Antonelli is champion of the world, and the youngest ever to do it in F1 history. The Italian has rewritten the record books, in what is only his second season in the sport, after his third place finish in Mexico City sealed the deal.

With the 20-year-old now confirmed as the sport's 36th World Champion, F1.com takes a look at the five youngest title winners after Antonelli's record-breaking feat.

5. Max Verstappen

First championship: 2021
Age: 24 years and 73 days

The youngest driver to ever start a Grand Prix at 17 years and 166 days, Max Verstappen also surpassed Sebastian Vettel as F1’s youngest Grand Prix winner in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, but amid a period of Mercedes control, he did not quite have the chance to become the sport’s youngest champion.

In 2021, he put an end to the Silver Arrows’ stunning run and quashed Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of taking a record eighth drivers’ title at the Abu Dhabi finale – the first time since 1974 that the protagonists were equal on points heading into the last round.

Verstappen went on to win the 2022, 2023 and 2024 titles in fine style, making him a four-time champion at 27 years old, before narrowly missing out to McLaren’s Lando Norris in 2025.

4. Fernando Alonso

First championship: 2005
Age: 24 years and 57 days

After an impressive rookie season with Minardi in 2001, Fernando Alonso made himself at home at Renault’s works team, who steadily grew into a race-winning and title-contending force as the noughties developed.

New regulations for 2005 provided the perfect platform to take the next step and, after five successive drivers’ titles for Ferrari star Michael Schumacher, the young Spaniard was the man to end that dominant spell.

Alonso backed up his breakthrough title triumph in 2006 (when he became F1’s youngest double champion at the time), scoring 134 points to Schumacher’s 121 in an intense battle that went down to the wire.

Spells at various teams and several championship near misses have followed over the years, meaning he is still chasing that elusive third crown at the age of 45.

3. Lewis Hamilton

First championship: 2008
Age: 23 years and 300 days

After arriving at McLaren for 2007 as a double World Champion, Alonso experienced a fierce rivalry with newcomer Hamilton, who showed no signs of settling for ‘Number 2’ status.

Alonso and Hamilton were closely matched throughout that campaign, and ended it level on points – only to both be pipped by Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen at the final round.

While Alonso departed, Hamilton remained, and he found himself in title contention once more in 2008. It all led up to the nail-biting Brazilian Grand Prix, which went down in F1 history when the British youngster passed Toyota’s Timo Glock in the dying laps to become the youngest F1 champion at 23 years and 300 days old.

If he can clinch another title with Ferrari in 2027, he would become the third-oldest F1 champion behind Giuseppe Farina (43 years, 10 months, four days) and Juan Manuel Fangio (46 years, 1 month, 11 days).

2. Sebastian Vettel

First championship: 2010
Age: 23 years and 133 days

Vettel entered the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 15 points shy of Alonso, but dramatically emerged as the youngest F1 World Champion.

Incidentally, he became the youngest-ever double (then triple, then quadruple) champion in the following years, as the German and Red Bull enjoyed a period of dominance.

But that is not all. He had already become the youngest-ever F1 points scorer for BMW Sauber at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, and followed that up in 2008 by becoming the then youngest polesitter and race winner at Monza.

1. Kimi Antonelli

First championship: 2026
Age: 20 years and 68 days

Vettel’s pole record was beaten by Kimi Antonelli earlier this year, as the Italian – still a teenager at the time – charged to P1 on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix, where he also claimed his maiden win (putting him second to Verstappen in the all-time list).

Antonelli has gone from strength to strength since then, emerging as Mercedes’ lead driver in a new era of regulations to pull away from team mate George Russell in the standings and charge towards the title at just 20 years old.

It means he is comfortably the youngest champion in F1 history, eclipsing the legendary names before him in this list, and setting a new record that is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon…