Antonelli world champion: the facts of the title and the reaction from Italian sport

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is Formula 1 world champion at the age of 20 years and two months, the youngest in the history of the category according to AGI. He is the first Italian to win the title in 73 years, that is, since Alberto Ascari’s second championship.¹ The Bologna-born Mercedes driver sealed the title by finishing third at the Mexican Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen ahead of Lewis Hamilton.¹

What is confirmed about the title

The sporting result is described in the same way by the sources consulted: Antonelli is world champion, and the title comes 73 years after the last one won by an Italian. Before him, Italy had Giuseppe Farina as champion in 1950 and Alberto Ascari, who won in two consecutive seasons, in ’52 and ’53.¹² This season Antonelli has collected nine wins, according to AGI: Shanghai, Suzuka, Miami, Montreal, Monaco, Spa, Monza, Madrid and Austin, the latter the week before Mexico.¹ The age record and the Italian record are reported by AGI. The available sources, however, do not give the championship points or the gap to his rivals, so they cannot be given here.¹

The words of Antonelli and his family

After the race Antonelli thanked Mercedes and his family. He said he was “speechless” and still had to take in the result. He also said he had felt a little more tension over the weekend and that he cannot wait for new challenges with Verstappen and Hamilton.¹ His father, Marco Antonelli, a former driver and later owner of the AKM Motorsport team, told Adnkronos that the celebration was low-key. On Sunday evening the family spent a few hours with the team, without staying out late. On Monday Kimi had work to do, and then they left for Brazil, ahead of the next Grand Prix.¹³ From Brazil, in Tatuí in the state of São Paulo, his father described the visit to the Senna family’s farm. For Kimi, who grew up idolizing Ayrton Senna, it was a special moment. Antonelli also announced, Adnkronos reports, that he will not remove the number 12 from his car, even though he could choose the number 1 reserved for champions.¹³ On his debut year in Formula 1, marked by difficulties, Marco Antonelli explained that he had advised his son to believe in what he was doing and not to give up.³

The reaction from Italian sport

According to AGI, athletes from many different sports joined in the tribute, from football to swimming, from basketball to athletics. These are personal messages, not verifiable data.² Valentino Rossi, nine-time motorcycling world champion, said: “we are all very proud of you”. Alessandro Del Piero, football world champion in 2006, spoke of “pride for all of us Italians”. Roberto Baggio congratulated him on “your first world title”.² Arianna Fontana, who with 14 Olympic medals is the Italian with the most podiums at the Games, thanked Antonelli for making the country dream. Federica Pellegrini, a former Olympic and world swimming champion and now a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), posted a video holding the tricolor. Sofia Goggia, Olympic downhill gold medalist, thanked him for the emotions. AGI also cites a message from Alberto Tomba among them.²

What is not yet known

The sources do not give the complete final standings. Antonelli said he wants to enjoy the rest of the season, so the calendar continues, with the Grand Prix in Brazil as the next event. His father said the real celebrations will take place when they return to Italy, without specifying dates or details.¹³

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Kimi Antonelli è campione del mondo, “sono senza parole”. Dopo 73 anni un italiano è il re…, agi.it, 2026-11-02 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. Tutti per Kimi, l’omaggio dello sport italiano, agi.it, 2026-11-02 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Papà Antonelli: “Dalla prima volta su un kart al Mondiale, il viaggio di Kimi. La paghetta? Ha un significato…”, Adnkronos, 2026-11-04 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴