Kimi Antonelli, two points away from history: “Until it’s over, it’s not over. It would be fantastic to be able to close the championship on a high, but there are still things to work on”
Kimi Antonelli is close to becoming the youngest champion in history of F1. The Italian Mercedes driver is surprising the world in 2026 by adapting better than anyone to the new era of energy management of the Great Circus. At just 20 years old, the Italian will only need to score two points in next weekend’s Mexican GP to pop the champagne and make history.
The youngest champion in history so far was Sebastian Vettel at 23 years, 4 months and 11 days. It is clear that Antonelli. who today is 20 years and 2 months old, will surpass him sooner or later. But If you want to be champion in Mexico land it’s worth a ninth placeregardless of what makes Russell or Hamilton.
With nine victories on his record this season, it seems really complicated to think that he will not be able to be in that TOP9 if there is not some fault in his Mercedes. Anyway, If he finished 10th, Russell should win and, if he were out of the points, Russell should be in the top two. In the case of Hamilton, if he won with the Ferrari, Antonelli would not be champion only if he finishes 10th or worse.
“Until it’s over, it’s not over. It would be fantastic to be able to close the championship on a high with another good result and then enjoy everything else and the rest of the season,” said Kimi Antonelli, in statements reported by Motorsport Italia, after finishing the Austin race with a very solid victory at the controls of the W17.
Errors to correct
Very few were betting on seeing this Kimi Antonelli. His debut year, in 2025, was much more complicated than expected with only two podiums despite being Toto Wolff’s great bet. When it was known that Mercedes had the best car on the grid at the beginning of the era, we all looked at Russell as the great favorite. It was normal, thinking that George surpassed Hamilton in two of the three seasons they shared the box and that he had much more experience. However, the Italian is beating his teammate.
Despite being tremendously superior, Antonelli is showing himself to be a very perfectionist driver. He is about to be the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1, but he continues to see mistakes that he has made and that he must keep in mind so as not to repeat them.
“It would be nice to end on a good note. But, without a doubt, Looking back at the season, there are still things to work on and improve, like the mentality in certain situations or the way I approach some scenarios. So, without a doubt, at the end of the season I will have more time to analyze things: what went well and what could have gone better. But, so far, it has been a very average season, and we will try to keep it that way until the end.”
“First of all, the mistake in FP3 in Australia. In Japan, I had a bad start. Then, also in Miami, in the sprint race, where I threw points overboard by leaving the track limits. Yes, the track limits have been the most problematic for me,” he specified in closing.
There could be certain doubts about his talent and Mercedes’ commitment. It was logical. At only 19 years old, Kimi had to replace Hamilton, the most successful driver in history. Wolff gave him that responsibility with practically no experience in single-seaters and with a year of Formula 2 where he spent without pain or glory. And as said with his first year in F1, there was nothing superlative.
But the change in regulations has fit him like a glove. Good old Antonelli is breaking all precocity records without hardly flinching, fighting against titans like Max Verstappen or Hamilton himself. The tranquility and naturalness with which he faces it is just as fascinating as his performance.. Therefore, in less than a week, barring a catastrophe, we will witness a historic Sunday for motorsports.
