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Italian driver Kimi Antonelli of the Mercedes team won his first championship title and became the youngest champion in Formula 1 history, finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Antonelli, 20 years and 68 days old, finished the race behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
The Italian ran the race confidently, despite the chaotic events that unfolded around the other leaders. The Grand Prix was interrupted by red flags, after which the drivers faced a 25-lap sprint to the finish.
Antonelli, still 19 at the end of August, spent the final laps watching as Hamilton tried to get close to Verstappen to overtake. But Hamilton was never able to close the distance to carry out the attack.
The events of the race faded into the background amid Antonelli's historic achievement. He broke the previous record of Sebastian Vettel, becoming the youngest champion in Formula 1 history - the difference was three years and 66 days.
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First Italian since 1953
In addition, Antonelli became the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari won in 1953.
The athlete could not contain his emotions - on the radio he could be heard crying and laughing at the same time. At first he couldn't even say a word when the team told him that he had become the world champion.
Having recovered a little, Antonelli said: “Thank you very much! We did it! We did it!
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Antonelli secured the title several stages before the end of the season in which he made his breakthrough.
The Italian driver will not use the number “1” on his car next year - as he explained, due to superstition and modesty, writes Reuters. The Mercedes driver won the title in Mexico City with the number 12 and will retain it.
“I will keep number 12 because, firstly, it means a lot to me, and secondly, it helps me stay in touch with reality and remain humble,” said the first Italian champion in 73 years.
“It seems to me that number 12 is a kind of new starting point to build everything again and strive for further progress. Besides, to be honest, I am very superstitious, and number “1” has never brought me luck. Every time I chose him, everything went from bad to worse,” the champion added.
A new example of modesty
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Antonelli became the first Formula 1 driver to win the championship with the number 12 since legendary three-time world champion Ayrton Senna wore the number in 1988, when he first became champion with McLaren.
Senna, who died in 1994 while racing for Williams at the Italian Imola circuit, is Antonelli's idol. Antonelli himself comes from Bologna, located near Imola. He said he will be wearing a special helmet dedicated to the great driver's memory at next weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff noted that Antonelli's modesty makes him a new type of driver - a role model for other young drivers.
“The 'win at all costs' mentality - the selfish, opportunistic, ruthless approach for one's own gain - is a thing of the past,” Wolff said. “We have a new champion who embodies the values of humility, honesty, loyalty, respect and self-confidence.”
“He should be a role model for many young drivers in the youth racing series. “He should also become an example for those few in Formula 1 who behave like spoiled children: they constantly complain on the radio, are always dissatisfied with everything, get into accidents,” the Austrian specialist continued. “Look at this 20-year-old guy and think: what can you do to become better?”
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