At 20, Kimi Antonelli Becomes Formula 1's Youngest-Ever World Champion

Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 history in Mexico City, becoming the youngest world champion the sport has ever seen at just 20 years old.

The Mercedes driver finished third in a dramatic, red-flagged Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, behind race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole. Third place was more than enough: Antonelli's overall lead became an unassailable 119 points with races still to run.

Antonelli, at 20 years and 68 days, breaks the record previously held by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title at 23 in 2010. He is also the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73-year wait for Italy.

The race itself was full of incident, with two safety cars, multiple crashes, and a 33-minute red-flag halt with 25 of the 71 laps remaining after Valtteri Bottas crashed. Verstappen, who started fifth after a grid penalty, took his sixth win in Mexico by 0.799 seconds from Hamilton, while Antonelli held third to seal the title.

On the podium, the sport's generations collided: four-time champion Verstappen and seven-time champion Hamilton lifted the tearful new champion into the air. Verstappen also moved into second in the standings, two points ahead of Hamilton, while Mercedes closed in on the constructors' title ahead of the next race in Brazil.