Sebastian Vettel has stated he would be delighted if Kimi Antonelli surpasses his record as Formula 1’s youngest world champion. Vettel claimed the title in 2010 at 23 years, four months and 11 days, surpassing Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 mark by over five months.
Antonelli, now 20, appears poised to secure the championship this season after his Spanish Grand Prix victory extended his lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell to 81 points.
“I’d be very happy for him,” Vettel said at Monza. “He had an incredible year. There’s the old phrase that records are there to be broken. He still has a lot of years ahead of him to do so.”
“I love the sport, so as a spectator it’s very exciting. I’d wish for the others to come back and be more in the mix. I’m independent and happy for [him] because I know how much work there is behind it to achieve it, and whoever will win will deserve it as well.”
Sebastian Vettel winning the 2010 world title in Abu Dhabi
Photo by: Darren Heath – Getty Images
Antonelli has already surpassed several of Vettel’s records, earning his maiden pole position and first hat-trick at 19 years old—feats the German achieved at 21 in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
The Mercedes driver expressed appreciation for his senior rival’s support: “It’s great. Seb is incredible. He’s a friend of mine, always sends some messages after every race weekend or even before some of them.”
“It’s great to see so much support from him and so much appreciation as well. Definitely, I’m very happy to get his messages, and for sure they make a little difference in going into the weekend or even after.”
Antonelli also holds records as F1’s youngest fastest-lap scorer, race leader, championship leader, and grand-chelem achiever, taking marks previously held by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Verstappen remains the youngest driver to score points, reach a podium, and win a race in the championship.
F1’s top 10 youngest world champions
| Year | Driver | Team | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |
Red Bull | 23y, 4m, 11d |
| 2008 | |
McLaren | 23y, 9m, 26d |
| 2005 | |
Renault | 24y, 1m, 27d |
| 2021 | |
Red Bull | 24y, 2m, 12d |
| 2011 | |
Red Bull | 24y, 3m, 6d |
| 2022 | |
Red Bull | 25y, 9d |
| 2006 | |
Renault | 25y, 2m, 23d |
| 2012 | |
Red Bull | 25y, 4m, 22d |
| 1972 | |
Lotus | 25y, 8m, 29d |
| 1994 | |
Benetton | 25y, 10m, 10d |
Additional reporting by Ronald Vording and Filip Cleeren
