Kimi Antonelli is famous for his meteoric rise to Formula One (F1), which culminated with a driversā championship in 2026, making him, at age 20, the youngest winner of that title.
After securing multiple karting accolades, the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles, and the Formula Regional European Championship, he was directly promoted to Formula 2 (F2), bypassing Formula 3. He became the youngest multiple-race winner in F2 history. Following Lewis Hamiltonās departure from the Mercedes F1 team at the end of the 2024 season, Antonelli was chosen to fill the vacant seat, alongside English driver George Russell, starting in the 2025 season.
During the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix in Antonelliās sophomore season, he became the youngest polesitter in F1 history and the first Italian driver to win an F1 race in two decades. With a subsequent victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, he became the youngest driver ever to lead the F1 Driversā Championship and built a commanding lead with additional victories across races in Miami, Canada, Monaco, and Spain. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Antonelli started in 19th position of 22 and overtook most of the field to win the race. He also won the U.S. Grand Prix in Texas; a week later, by finishing third in Mexico, won the driversā championship.