Kimi Antonelli outlined his hope that it is "just the beginning" after becoming the youngest Formula One drivers' champion in history.

Antonelli knew going into Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix that a finish of ninth or better would see him secure the crown, and a composed drive saw him finish third.

Max Verstappen took the chequered flag in first with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton placing second, but the day belonged to Antonelli – who is the 36th different F1 drivers' champion.

At the age of 20 years, two months and seven days, the Italian shattered Sebastian Vettel's previous record as the youngest champion, which the German set in 2010 at the age of 23 years, four months and 11 days.

And Antonelli's title triumph has also been one of the most dominant in the sport's history, with four races still to go.

He is just the fifth different driver to win a title that early in a season, after Michael Schumacher (four races left in 2001 and 2004, six in 2002), Verstappen (four in 2022 and five in 2023), Nigel Mansell (five in 1992) and Vettel (four in 2011).

But even amid the celebrations with his Silver Arrows engineers, Antonelli was looking to the future. 

"It hasn't been easy to always stay focused. Obviously, the thought of the championship was there very early on, at the start of the season," he told Sky Sports. 

"It hasn't been easy to keep the focus high, but I'm really happy that we managed to bring it home and win the championship. Now, we are going to enjoy the rest of the season.

"This is just the beginning. This win is just going to mark a new beginning, a new point to build on, to keep improving and to keep trying to win championships.

"Obviously, it's been incredible to share the podium with Max and Lewis, and hopefully there will be many more battles with them in the future."

Waking up as Champion  https://t.co/N5UrcKbjQJ

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 2, 2026

It was a mixed day for Mercedes overall, as Antonelli's team-mate George Russell finished sixth and skipped the post-race celebrations and media duties, landing a €5,000 fine.

Russell has struggled since winning two of the opening six races of the year, failing to finish on the podium at any of the last four, and Mexico City winner Verstappen appeared to take a swipe at the Brit while congratulating Antonelli.

"You can argue that over the whole season they [Mercedes] had the best package, but still, compared to his team-mate, I think he has done an unbelievable job," Verstappen said of the Italian.

"I know myself, when you are in your second season there are still so many unknowns, but sometimes that's a good thing, because you drive free.

"At the same time, it's also easy to make mistakes and he didn't. I think that is very impressive. That is why he deserves this championship."