Together with his victory on the 2026 Components 1 Japanese Grand Prix and his team-mate’s fourth-place end, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli grew to become the brand new championship chief. Within the course of, he earned the file because the youngest driver ever to high the F1 championship.
Antonelli’s achievement is much more exceptional while you bear in mind he’s the primary driver to steer the championship at beneath 20 years previous – and in reality the primary to take action earlier than turning 22.
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Normally, drivers attain the highest of the standings years later than the younger Italian. Among the many youngest, 5 drivers first led the championship at age 23, three at 24, 5 at 25, and 7 at 26.
Earlier than Antonelli, the file was held by Lewis Hamilton, who grew to become championship chief on the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix in simply his fourth race and debut season within the class – earlier than even successful a grand prix.
Hamilton broke a file that had stood for practically 50 years, since McLaren founder Bruce McLaren led the 1960 F1 world championship after successful the opening race of the season in Argentina. McLaren would go on to take three extra victories, however solely managed to complete runner-up within the drivers’ championship.
With Antonelli’s achievement, an attention-grabbing case drops off the rostrum of youngest leaders: Sebastian Vettel, who first led a championship on the day he gained his first title, on the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – the beginning of his run of 4 consecutive championships.
The youngest drivers in F1 historical past to steer the championship
Driver
Age on the time of reaching the rostrum
Race
1
Kimi Antonelli
19 years, 7 months, and 4 days
2026 Japanese Grand Prix
2
Lewis Hamilton
22 years, 4 months, and 6 days
2007 Spanish Grand Prix
3
Bruce McLaren
22 years, 5 months, and eight days
1960 Argentine Grand Prix
4
Sebastian Vettel
23 years, 4 months, and 11 days
2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
5
Kimi Raikkonen
23 years, 5 months, and 6 days
2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
6
Robert Kubica
23 years, 6 months, and 1 day
2008 Canadian Grand Prix
7
Fernando Alonso
23 years, 7 months, and 20 days
2005 Malaysian Grand Prix
8
Max Verstappen
23 years, 7 months, and 23 days
2021 Monaco Grand Prix
9
Oscar Piastri
24 years and 14 days
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
10
Charles Leclerc
24 years, 5 months, and 4 days
2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
11
Peter Collins
24 years, 7 months, and 25 days
1956 French Grand Prix
12
Michael Schumacher
25 years, 2 months, and 24 days
1994 Brazilian Grand Prix
13
Lando Norris
25 years, 4 months, and three days
2025 Australian Grand Prix
14
Niki Lauda
25 years, 4 months, and 15 days
1974 French Grand Prix
15
Emerson Fittipaldi
25 years, 5 months, and a couple of days
1972 Monaco Grand Prix
16
David Coulthard
25 years, 11 months, and 10 days
1997 Australian Grand Prix
17
Jacques Villeneuve
26 years and 4 days
1997 Argentine Grand Prix
18
Ayrton Senna
26 years and 23 days
1986 Spanish Grand Prix
19
Stirling Moss
26 years, 8 months, and 17 days
1956 Belgian Grand Prix
20
Alain Prost
26 years, 10 months, and 30 days
1982 South African Grand Prix
Apparently, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen first led the championship at virtually precisely the identical age, with simply three days’ distinction in favour of the Spaniard, who took the lead of the 2025 championship within the second race of that season – the 12 months he would go on to win his first title.
As for Verstappen, though he gained his first race in 2016, he didn’t lead the championship till mid-2021, when he would later safe his first title.
Different nice champions like Michael Schumacher didn’t lead the championship till age 25, whereas rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost first led it at 26 – the Brazilian two years earlier than his first title, and the Frenchman three years earlier than his.
Amongst different champions not listed, Jim Clark and Nelson Piquet first led at 27; Jochen Rindt, James Hunt, and Jenson Button at 28; and Mike Hawthorn and Mika Hakkinen at 29. The remainder of the champions first led the standings after turning 30.
In the event you’re questioning, solely 66 drivers in Components 1 historical past have ever led the drivers’ championship. And for the file, the oldest first-time championship leaders have been five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio, at 38 years and 10 months, and the game’s first-ever champion, Giuseppe Farina, who first led – and gained his title – at 43 years previous.
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