Kimi Antonelli: Speed Machine

In one of the most extraordinary sights witnessed on a Formula 1 podium, former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen hoisted the newest and youngest champion, Kimi Antonelli, on their shoulders in Mexico City. This was the equivalent of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating together the dawn of their successor, something that would never happen. But in Formula One, a sport known for its fierce rivalries, it happened.

Antonelli, all of 20 and in only his second season in a Formula One cockpit, won nine of the 20 races, claiming the Drivers’ Championship for Mercedes with 380 points. The next best was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with 261. The Italian sealed the title with four races still to go, becoming the youngest to do so in the sport’s history, breaking Germany’s Sebastian Vettel’s record by more than three years.

Antonelli’s debut season had been uneven, with flashes of promise but too many mistakes. George Russell, his more experienced teammate, had comfortably outperformed him. This time, however, Antonelli was a different proposition. He combined breakneck speed with surreal consistency, winning five consecutive races from China to Monaco and putting himself firmly in control of the championship.

Even his rivals were impressed: outgoing champion Lando Norris was the first to point out that Antonelli had made everyone else look silly. For the young Italian, it was an incredible arrival at the top of a sport he is now expected to dominate for years to come.

– Aditya Iyer