Kimi Antonelli was crowned Formula 1 World Champion at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing on the third step of the podium in a race won by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver took victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line in second place.

For the Italian, it is a historic achievement because, at just 20 years of age, he becomes the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history. Until now, the record belonged to four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who claimed his first title at the age of 23.

The podium, set against the backdrop of the circuit named after the Rodríguez brothers, featured only World Champions: Verstappen boasts four titles, Hamilton has won seven, and Antonelli has now added his first to his tally.

Verstappen secured victory thanks to a two-stop strategy. The Dutchman started on Medium tyres before switching to Softs on lap 27. After completing 18 laps on the C5 compound, the race was halted by a red flag. Verstappen took advantage of the interruption to fit another set of Soft tyres and subsequently held off Hamilton’s charge to the chequered flag.

The Ferrari driver had started on Softs before switching to Mediums. During the Safety Car period that preceded the red flag, he fitted another set of Softs. At the restart, Hamilton opted once again for Softs, using a previously run set. The Ferrari man set the fastest lap of the race on both the red-marked and yellow-marked compounds.

Antonelli, meanwhile, started on Softs and waited until lap 43 before switching to Mediums. The Italian also took advantage of the red flag to fit another used set of Softs. It was a strategy that enabled him to secure third place and, more importantly, the World Championship.

Kimi Antonelli is the third Italian driver in Formula 1 history to win the World Championship. His two predecessors also achieved the feat using exclusively Pirelli tyres. Giuseppe “Nino” Farina claimed the title in the inaugural World Championship season of 1950, contesting six races on Pirelli tyres, while Alberto Ascari secured his second consecutive crown in 1953, winning all eight Grands Prix he entered that year on Pirelli rubber.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli on winning the World Championship. It is a thoroughly deserved success, built on the consistency he has demonstrated throughout the season and sealed today with another outstanding performance, culminating in a podium finish in a race packed with drama alongside two World Champions.

Without the neutralisations, a one-stop strategy would have been the most competitive option for this Grand Prix. Both the Soft and Medium compounds proved capable of covering around half the race distance, making it possible to complete the event with a single tyre change. The C5 once again confirmed itself as the benchmark compound in terms of grip and driver confidence, although the performance gap to the C4 was very small, with both compounds showing similar levels of degradation. It was therefore no surprise that every driver chose the Soft for the final stint after the Safety Car, despite also having the Hard compound available.

From a technical perspective, tyre behaviour was very positive. We recorded no significant graining, and degradation remained within expected levels, proving lower than what had been observed on Friday.

A lock-up by Leclerc at the restart following the red flag also provided further evidence of the robustness of Formula 1 tyres. The tyre sliding across the asphalt caused particularly severe localised wear on the front-left tyre, bringing it very close to the internal structural layers.

This is certainly not a routine occurrence, but it is one that is consistently taken into account throughout Pirelli’s development and validation processes, including through rigorous indoor testing programmes. The ultimate objective is to ensure that the tyre maintains an appropriate level of integrity even under extreme conditions, allowing drivers to continue racing in complete safety.

The performance of the Soft compound was particularly interesting, as demonstrated by Antonelli’s lengthy stint. He completed 43 laps while maintaining very limited degradation and a competitive pace right through to the closing stages of the race.

The C3, meanwhile, was not considered by the teams because, under race conditions, it did not offer any performance advantage over the two softer compounds. Overall, the data collected confirmed a very clear picture, fully consistent with the simulations carried out before the event, both in terms of degradation and the competitiveness of the various strategic options.”