Kimi Antonelli has been crowned the newest Formula 1 world champion after securing the title on Sunday, November 1. The 20-year-old Italian driver clinched the championship by finishing third in the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. This victory marks a historic moment for Italy, ending a 73-year drought without a national champion in the premier category of motorsport and making Antonelli the youngest driver ever to win the competition.
Born in Bologna, Antonelli is the son of Marco Antonelli, a former racing driver who competed in the Italian Superturismo Championship during the 1990s. Kimi began his career in karting at the age of five and joined the Mercedes driver development program at 13. His rise through the ranks saw him consistently outperform Brazilian rival Rafael Câmara; Antonelli won the 2021 FIA European Karting Championship ahead of Câmara, followed by victories in the Italian and German F4 series where Câmara finished third in both. In 2023, Antonelli secured the European Formula Regional title while finishing ahead of Câmara again, who placed fifth.
Antonelli made his Formula 2 debut in 2024 at age 17 with Prema Racing, winning a sprint race at Silverstone and the main event in Hungary to finish sixth overall. He took over as Mercedes' lead driver for the following season after Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari. In his F1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix, Antonelli finished fourth, just under two seconds off the podium. Throughout the 2025 season, he achieved two third-place finishes in Canada and Las Vegas, along with a second place at the São Paulo Grand Prix in Interlagos.
The current campaign saw Antonelli start with a runner-up finish in Australia and his first career victory in China. He subsequently went on a winning streak of five consecutive races across Japan, Miami, Canada, and Monaco, before adding further wins in Belgium and leading races in Monza and Madrid. A self-proclaimed fan of Ayrton Senna, Antonelli wears the number 12 on his car as a tribute to the Brazilian legend. He has cited Senna as his primary inspiration, noting that watching DVDs of the 1990s and 2000s with his father highlighted Senna's unique personality and driving skills both on and off the track.
Sources: CNN Brasil.