Kimi Antonelli has more to be remembered for than his age after he is on the brink of an unprecedented achievement in Formula 1. The Mercedes driver will be one of the youngest ever world champions in the sport’s history and his feat is probably one of the quickest first time wins back in history.
Earlier this week, Antonelli required only two more points from his remaining races in order to clinch winning the championship. In the mathematical game, if he only finished ninth, that would suffice, but it will be very hard for his other rival teammates on the podium, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Both would have to go on to claim the five other races to maintain the momentum of their title causes.
Antonelli would be Formula 1’s 36th world champion if he manages to do it at the Mexican Grand Prix. But how he’s gotten there to his first title is what makes his campaign stand out. He hasn’t waited until the end of the season to go over the line for the crown, unlike many that came before him.
It’s a rare first-world accomplishment to have won a world title before the last round of competition. In all, 20 of 36 drivers have won the F1 World championship in a race that used to be the final race. Antonelli is going to join the small number of racecar drivers who have been able to gain a significant lead up front.
The game is said to be more than 82.6 per cent done when it ends. That would rank Antonelli fifth of first-time world champions by how soon they clinched their championship in the year of that season.
Mansell’s record of 1992 is Nigel Mansell’s single victory of the world championships despite having completed only 68.8 per cent of the season. After a number of years at the front, Mansell came within striking distance of winning the title and finally claimed it at the age of 39.
Next on the list is Jim Clark who finished first with 70 per cent of the season behind him in 1963. Jackie Stewart then comes in victory in his initial race in 1969, after a 72.5% campaign. Alberto Ascari won his first title when he finished with 75 per cent of the season still left, winning his first championship comparatively early in the season.
But there is a vital difference between Antonelli’s campaign and the accomplishments of those days. In 1952, Formula 1 regulations took up the F2 regulations hence the championship took place with the Formula 2 engines. The way and the competition were therefore different to the modern day.
This was just about the achievement that Antonelli was expecting, and he joins the elite group of recent winners. He’ll be the third person to win his first world title prior to the final round of the season in the past 30 years. The first time was back in 2005 when Fernando Alonso won the title after bringing the most points in with 89.5 per cent of the season’s races completed. That was followed by Jenson Button in 2009 who won for the first time with a 94.1 per cent result.
Alonso and Button had to deal with competitive championship challenges in order to win their titles, but Antonelli’s season hasn’t been so. His lead is so considerable that by the start of the final rounds his standout campaign among recent first time title winners already had the championship won.
This does not imply that all the past races leading up to the final prior to that were easy to come by. Multiple drivers took their maiden victories with races to come, but only after prevailing over tough opposition over the course of the season.
Two years ago, for instance, Alain Prost won the 1985 title for McLaren, two races from the championship, before the rest of the world realized that he needed an extra two races to win. But, Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto was always close to the fray, and a rough run of start-finish races, which included no points in the final five races, put the curtain down on his title bid.
Many other winners had to deal with real championship fights, such as as Ayrton Senna in 1988, Button in 2009 and Alonso in 2005. The momentum shifts, competition and key performances were a significant factor in their seasons.
Antonelli’s 2026 campaign seems to have had a big greater impact this time around. It is fair to say that, on the ground, the strength of his team-mate, Russell, has been a ‘big help’ to understand the extent to which Antonelli has achieved his strength. Despite being in the same machinery, Antonelli has been able to maintain the consistency of winning a championship while Russell simply hasn’t been able to.
That boosts the argument that the young Italian isn’t merely racking up wins with the best car. He’s separated his nearest rival from him by his ability to convert opportunities, sustain his performance and overcome the competition in order to put himself on top at the scoreboard.
In the end though, Kimi Antonelli’s first world title will be evaluated both for the wins in these points, but also for the confidence he’s been carrying with them. If he does not disappoint, he’ll take his name in the pantheon of those who’ve won their championships early in their sporting careers. It will be the beginning of a new world champion for Mercedes, and the first time Formula 1 will have a new measure for judging a young driver’s first winning season.
Follow Zeroto30 Seconds
Every second counts.