MEXICO CITY (AP) — Twenty-year-old Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1 on Sunday with four races still left in the season.
Antonelli, the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953, took an unassailable lead in the standings over teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton after the Mexico City Grand Prix. Antonelli finished third in the race, which was won by Red Bull’s
Max Verstappen.
Sebastian Vettel was the previous youngest champion at age 23 in 2010.
“Thank you so much, we did it, we did it, thank you so much ... thank you,” Antonelli said on the team radio after securing the title.
Verstappen won the Mexico City GP for the sixth time.
The race was stopped on lap 46 with a red flag after Valtteri Bottas crashed into the wall at the first corner, following issues with his right-side suspension.
Cadillac reported that the driver was given “further medical assessments as a precaution.”
Bottas got out of the car unaided and waved to the fans before leaving the track.
At the restart, Verstappen was first, followed by Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris and Russell and the Red Bull driver did not let the win slip away.
After Mexico, F1 will head to Brazil and then to Las Vegas. It remains uncertain whether the final two scheduled Grands Prix — in Qatar and Abu Dhabi —will take place, given instability in the region.
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