Kimi Antonelli secured third place in Mexico, sealing his status as Formula 1’s youngest world champion.
At just 20, the Italian eclipsed Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won in 2010.
He wrapped up the 2026 title with four races to spare, boasting nine wins, 16 podiums and seven poles.
The prodigy now joins the sport’s legends, but who else triumphed early?
Only five drivers have captured the crown before 25, a list that heavily favors the modern era – for my money, it shows how quickly talent matures today.
Max Verstappen, Abu Dhabi 2021
That Verstappen clinched the championship in his seventh season says a lot; he was still under 25, having honed his craft under former‑F1 driver Jos Verstappen and dominated karting.
After a single European F3 season in 2014, he debuted with Toro Rosso in 2015, becoming the youngest F1 driver at 17, then earned a Red Bull seat in 2016.
Wins were sparse early – eight between 2016 and 2020 – as Mercedes and Hamilton ruled, until a turbocharged Honda gave Red Bull a 2021 rocket‑ship.
That set up the showdown everyone wanted: Hamilton versus Verstappen, veteran versus newcomer, fighting for an eighth crown and a first respectively.
A clash at Copse in Silverstone saw Verstappen suffer a 50 g crash, halting his streak, while Hamilton’s ten‑second penalty win narrowed the gap to eight points.
Hamilton then seized three straight victories, including Brazil and Saudi Arabia, pulling the championship level into the Abu Dhabi finale.
The finale’s safety‑car controversy handed Verstappen the win on the last lap, launching a three‑year streak that made him a four‑time champion by age 27.
Fernando Alonso, Brazil 2005
Alonso entered 2005 as a frontrunner after a strong 4, benefiting from Renault’s adaptation to new rules that banned mid‑race tyre changes and limited engine use.
Renault’s reliability outshone McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, with Alonso scoring 26 points – two wins and a podium – in the first three races versus the Finn’s seven.
Raikkonen answered with three wins in the next four, as McLaren grew, but technical gremlins repeatedly hampered his challenge.
Consistently fighting for podiums, Alonso secured the title at Brazil’s round 17, becoming the youngest champion then, surpassing Emerson Fittipaldi’s 25‑year‑273‑day record.
A third title has eluded him despite close calls in 2010 and 2012, yet at 45 he still holds the record for most Grand Prix starts.
3. Lewis Hamilton – 2008, 23y300d
Lewis Hamilton, Brazil 2008
Antonelli joins Jacques Villeneuve (1997) and Hamilton (2008) as the only drivers to win the crown in their second season.
Hamilton entered the 2008 finale as championship leader, but Raikkonen’s late surge denied him the title.
Undeterred, Hamilton started 2008 with a pole‑to‑win in Melbourne, then faced a Ferrari surge that claimed the next four races.
Mid‑season he hit top form, winning Monaco, Silverstone and Germany, with his home race at Silverstone a wet masterpiece.
The second half turned into a Hamilton‑vs‑Massa duel; despite Massa’s three wins, Hamilton’s consistency earned him a dramatic Interlagos victory, making him the youngest champion.
2. Sebastian Vettel – 2010, 23y134d
Sebastian Vettel, Abu Dhabi 2010
2010 delivered a chaotic three‑team fight, leaving four drivers in contention on the final day – the most unpredictable season in recent memory.
Vettel lingered in the background, only taking the lead after a P4 start and early DNF, then winning Malaysia before a five‑race winless stretch.
A late surge saw him claim three of the last four races, including Abu Dhabi, where he erased a 15‑point deficit to seize his first crown.
Ferrari seemed more concerned about Mark Webber than Vettel, especially after an early pitstop in Australia left Alonso stuck behind Vitaly Petrov.
Alonso finished seventh, Webber eighth, while Vettel’s victory clinched the title and sparked a Red Bull dominance that yielded four championships by 2013.
1. Kimi Antonelli – 2026, 20y68d
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
The 2026 season offered Antonelli his first title shot, with Mercedes entering as the pre‑season favorite thanks to a powerful engine.
Many expected George Russell to lead the charge after a strong 2025, as he outscored the rookie by 169 points and avoided the teenager’s early mistakes.
Russell won the season opener in Melbourne, yet from Shanghai onward Antonelli delivered five straight wins from China to Monaco, while Russell suffered an engine failure in Canada.
A brief hiccup – non‑scores in Austria and Silverstone – narrowed his lead to 25 points, but a pole‑to‑victory at Spa re‑established his dominance as Russell tangled with Hamilton.
From then on, Antonelli’s path to a 20‑year‑old championship was clear, even as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull closed the gap with upgrades.
He claimed second places at Zandvoort and Sepang, climbed from 16th to fifth in Baku, and delivered a stunning Monza win from 19th on the grid, finishing on the podium in all but three races.
Which future champion will break the record next?
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– The Team