The two consecutive victories achieved by Andrea Kimi Antonelli have allowed the Bolognese driver to write not only a page of Italian motorsport history, but also of Formula 1. Having become the youngest pole-sitter ever in China, Mercedes’ #12 came close to Max Verstappen’s record for the youngest winner, but the victory at Suzuka led Toto Wolff’s protégé to set another record: that of the youngest-ever world championship leader in F1 history. The championship, obviously, is still very long and can hold any kind of scenario, but the milestone reached by Antonelli rightfully places him in the F1 annals. A result that previously seemed almost unreachable when nine other drivers became the youngest ever to occupy first place in the world championship standings.
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From 10th to 6th: all in the 2000s
The characteristic of all these records is the historical period in which they were set, namely the 21st century, from 2001 to today. In only one case, and therefore in the 1900s, was there a ‘very young’ driver who took the lead in the world championship, but he is not part of the ranking that includes drivers from 10th to 6th place. The ‘oldest’ is Charles Leclerc, promoted to Ferrari in 2019 after an excellent debut with Sauber the previous year. In that season, the Monegasque achieved two consecutive victories at Spa and Monza, but it was only in 2022, with the success in the first race of the championship in Bahrain, that he became the world championship leader at 24 years and 5 months. Oscar Piastri did better than him last season, featuring four podiums in the first five races. It was in the latter, in Saudi Arabia, that the Australian took the lead in the standings just a few days after turning 24 years old. In a way, it is surprising that Max Verstappen is not among those occupying the top positions. Despite setting numerous records in F1, the Dutchman had to wait until 2021 to take the lead in the world championship for the first time at 23 years, 7 months, and 23 days, due to Mercedes’ dominance until 2020. Not surprisingly, in 2021, Verstappen won the first of his four titles. One must go further back in time, to 2005, to recall a similar situation with Fernando Alonso; as Ferrari’s results began to decline after a long period of dominance with Michael Schumacher, the Spaniard won the second race of the championship in Malaysia after a podium in Australia, thus becoming the new championship leader also at 23 years, 7 months, and 22 days, and therefore with a one-day difference compared to Verstappen. Memorable, in 2008, was the success of Robert Kubica in the Canadian GP, in what was his only victory in F1, as well as the only one by a Polish driver. A race that, in addition to the sensational pit lane collision between Hamilton and Raikkonen, is still remembered today for the BMW Sauber one-two finish, with the success allowing Kubica (a driver who would certainly have deserved more if it hadn’t been for a serious rally accident in 2011) to take the lead in the world championship at 23 years and 6 months.
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The top 5
The start of the 2003 season was not particularly easy for Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, with McLaren making the most of a difficult start for the Maranello team. Taking the opportunity was Kimi Raikkonen, who at 23 years and 5 months became the leader of the standings after the second GP of the world championship in Malaysia. Incredible, instead, was what happened in 2010 at the Abu Dhabi GP: Sebastian Vettel, after a long fight for the title with Fernando Alonso, managed to get the better of the Spaniard right in the United Arab Emirates, in what was the last race of the championship. In this way, the then Red Bull driver took the lead in the standings for the first time in his career at 23 years and 4 months, consequently winning the world championship and setting what is still today the record for the youngest driver ever to have won a world title. Occupying the third step of the podium in the special ranking of the youngest drivers to become world championship leaders is the only one who achieved such a feat in the 1900s: Bruce McLaren. Winner of the first race of the 1960 world championship in Argentina, the New Zealander founder of the eponymous team inevitably took the lead at 22 years and 5 months. Before the arrival of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the one who held the record for the youngest driver to lead the championship was Lewis Hamilton. On his F1 debut in 2007 with McLaren, the Briton achieved four podium finishes in the first four races, taking advantage of Raikkonen’s retirement in the Spanish GP to take the lead at 22 years and 4 months. Decidedly lower, however, is Antonelli’s age: always among the top two positions in the first three GPs, the Bolognese driver pulled away from his teammate Russell at Suzuka (4th at the finish line), thus taking the lead in the world championship standings at just 19 years, 7 months, and 4 days.
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