At 19, Andrea Kimi Antonelli isn't just Formula 1's most exciting young talent — he's the driver leading the 2026 World Championship. Here's how the Italian teenager got there.
Who is Kimi Antonelli?
Born in Bologna, Italy on 25 August 2006, Antonelli races for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team. He was promoted straight into Mercedes for 2025 to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton — an enormous call for a driver barely out of the junior categories.
A record-breaking rise
Antonelli made his debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix as the third-youngest driver ever to start a Formula 1 race, aged 18. His rookie year turned heads fast: in Miami he became the youngest driver to take a pole position of any kind (for the Sprint), and he claimed his first podium in Canada.
2026: a teenager on top of the world
2026 has been historic. Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to win three Grands Prix in a row, and the youngest — and first teenager ever — to lead the Formula 1 World Championship. He holds the lead in the drivers' standings past the season's midpoint.
Silverstone 2026
At the British Grand Prix, Antonelli took pole and won Saturday's Sprint — before a chaotic Sunday dropped him out of the points, a rare off-day that barely dented his title lead. See our British Grand Prix report.
More Formula 1
Explore the 2026 teams and drivers, the 2026 schedule with IST times, and how the points system works.
Sources: Formula 1, Wikipedia; championship data via Jolpica/Ergast.