Antonelli Is F1 World Champion at 20 After Mexican GP
The Mercedes driver clinched the title with a third-place finish at Hermanos Rodríguez and became the youngest champion in the sport's history.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the new Formula 1 world champion. At 20, the Italian Mercedes driver sealed the title on Sunday (1st) at the Mexican GP and broke the record of Germany's Sebastian Vettel as the youngest to win the crown, according to Folha.
Antonelli didn't even need to win: two points were enough to secure the trophy. He crossed the finish line third and scored 15. Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the race and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was second, making for a podium that together held 12 world titles.
The Italian arrived in F1 last year, at 18, to take the seat Hamilton left at Mercedes, after moving straight from F4 to F2. Folha calls the result the crowning of a bold bet by the German team, which many saw as premature.
Born in Bologna on August 25, 2006, he broke the mark set by Vettel, who won his first title in 2010 at 23 years, four months and 11 days. After the race, Antonelli thanked his team and family and said sharing the podium with Verstappen and Hamilton was "incredible."
The season is not over yet: F1 heads to the São Paulo GP next weekend, with the title already decided.