Antonelli joins the ranks of champions – and can catch the best of them

In the final stages of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli had a special view. He was sat close behind Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, watching the seven-time world champion pushing four-time world champion Max Verstappen for the victory before joining their ranks himself.

“It was very fun, the last stint, because the three of us were within two seconds, and we were all pushing,” Antonelli says of chasing those champions. “It was just difficult, of course, to overtake, but it was high intensity, and it was fun.

“Then, on the last lap, I just backed off because I just couldn't see the track. I was getting emotional, and I said, ‘I'm just going to back off because otherwise I crash here.’ So it was just good to bring it home.

“Already the lap before, I think I lost probably two seconds because I was already crying, basically. I couldn't see clearly ahead. I could see two Ferraris somehow with the tears. So, it was very special.

“A lot of memories went through my mind in that moment, all the memories since karting all the way to here. It was a very special final lap, and definitely, you know, then when I crossed the line, I let it all out because it was just achieving one of my biggest dreams. It was very special.”

At only 20 years old, it’s tempting to suggest Antonelli hasn’t had such a long wait to achieve that dream compared to drivers who spent so much longer trying to reach F1, let alone win a world championship. But his pathway was meticulously managed by Mercedes, and involved the investment of so many, that the Italian will have seen a route to this position from an extremely young age.

Antonelli celebrates with his family and team after becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. Simon Galloway/Getty Images

For his team boss Toto Wolff, it was a pathway that was simple to navigate. Not based on Antonelli’s talent, but his personality.

“It was not so difficult, because he's such a good person also,” Wolff reveals. “You know, we think of a sports star as winning at all costs and elbows out, opportunistic and selfish thinking. He shows that it's different now. He shows that you can have humility, lots of humility, respect, work within a team, and still be the best there is. And it's, for me, a role model for future generations of racing drivers.

“I'm so proud of all the team, because it's the work of so many people who have believed in him when he came in when he was younger. The support of Mercedes-Benz in Germany, that I've never doubted. So this is a team championship, and everybody's champion, not only the driver or the team principal.”

And nobody within the team has had to work more closely with Antonelli than his race engineer Peter Bonnington. “Bono” was once synonymous with Hamilton, and their six combined championships at Mercedes is the most successful partnership in the sport’s history. When Hamilton moved to Ferrari, Bono stayed put to continue a new chapter with Antonelli, and while he was sure he was working with a future champion, he admits he did not see success coming so soon.

Hamilton, whose partnership with Bonnington brought him six world championship titles, was among the first to congratulate his former engineer on Antonelli's title win. Clive Mason/Getty Images

“Not one bit,” Bonnington says. “Obviously you wish it, this is like the fairy tale, but I knew that Kimi had talent from the day that we put him in the car and I worked with him through his TPC program, testing previous cars. So before he actually drove one of our race cars, we drove one of the previous generations and we were just trying to try him out, know if he's got what it takes.

“I think it was within the first outing, maybe the second outing, it was ‘Oh no, this kid's got it, this kid has really got it.’ And so from that point onwards it was like ‘Right, well, we've got a diamond in the rough and we need to develop him to be the driver we want, not send him somewhere else to learn some bad habits. Come here, turn him into a Mercedes driver, and we'll turn him into a champion’.”

The journey was not without its setbacks, with Antonelli learning harsh lessons prior to racing in Formula 1 and again in his rookie season. While the growing pains of crashes and errors in TPC running happened away from the public eye, his tough run through the middle of 2025 was very visible but set the platform for this year’s success.

“I mean, it took a lot of mental resilience on his side, but also an openness to talk about the issues and to make sure he could accept that criticism is there and it's coming from outside, but also there's a bit of criticism inside, but we use that as something to build on," said Bonnington. "By taking the opportunity to learn and build on it, you just grow stronger. And that's what he did.

“I think we didn't give him the best of cars last year, so there's a lot that we have to hold our hand up to. Equally, he has a part to play in it as well. But he learned so much, so quickly, and that's really built on this year.”

After Antonelli was held aloft on the podium by two drivers who have won a combined 11 drivers’ championships between them, his third place secured the title that means there were now 12 between all three. And Bonnington, who also worked with Michael Schumacher prior to Hamilton, can see similar championship numbers heading Antonelli’s way.

“Easily the same [potential]. Easily. He’s so young, he started so early and I think he has got it to match these guys. He's set so many records already, and I think he’ll be setting a few more soon.”