Kimi Antonelli wins Formula 1 world championship in Mexico City

The championship win and the immediate decision

Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 world championship with a third place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix. This result breaks the record of Sebastian Vettel by more than three years. He is the first Italian to win the title in 73 seasons. He joins Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton as the only drivers in the modern era to win the title in their second campaign. I see this victory as the result of a decision Wolff made the moment Lewis Hamilton confirmed his move to Ferrari. Wolff told Bradley Lord and James Allison, "Kimi is in the car," because the team data supported the promotion. Wolff mentions that it felt like yesterday that Antonelli was 11 years old in a junior karting garage. The driver won junior formulas and then completed a 9,000 to 10,000 kilometre testing programme before his F1 debut. He had proven his talent through success in Formula 4 and Formula Regional. Wolff insists the move was a calculated risk rather than a real risk. The team made the decision based on the belief that his success in junior series made the promotion inevitable.

Sponsor backlash and external pressure

The promotion of Antonelli led to two sponsors ending their relationship with Mercedes. These partners questioned the choice by asking, "Kimi Antonelli, who is this kid supposed to be?" Wolff notes that Tommy Hilfiger and Puma left the team at the end of 2024. Adidas arrived as a new brand, while Gillette decided to go to Audi instead. The media and other drivers argued that the pressure of driving the car previously used by Lewis Hamilton was too much for an 18-year-old who had only scored one win in 28 Formula 2 races. Wolff says that the doubts came from people who were partners of the team at the time but were no longer there. Critics suggested that Mercedes should have reached an agreement with Williams to let him develop for several years. I find it blunt that Wolff dismisses these critics as people who did not see the talent. Even when Antonelli struggled, those who said "I told you so" gained momentum. The skepticism intensified because he only scored his first of two wins in the 15th of 28 races during his 2024 season. People even said he should not be in Formula 1 at all. Critics pointed to his results in Formula 2 as proof that he was not ready for such a high-profile role.

Struggles during the debut season

Antonelli faced significant struggles during his 2025 debut season. He went nine races in Europe without scoring any points. This difficult run included a weekend at Spa where he was seen in tears. His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, once called him a "diamond in the rough" because the driver needed more work to handle the power of the downforce. Bonnington did not expect the 20-year-old to reach the championship level this quickly. He thought the driver would need more years to experience the power of the downforce and prove his ability in a much higher level of racing. Antonelli won five single-seater championships in two years to prove his talent. He meshed better with the W17 than his teammate George Russell did during the campaign. Bonnington only started to believe the title was possible as Antonelli concluded a five-round winning streak. This performance proved that the driver could dominate on pure talent despite the immense pressure of the Mercedes seat. He defied the expectations of his engineer by scaling the mountain of F1 in just two seasons. The victory in Mexico City ends the doubts that clouded his early career.