Kimi Antonelli has brought Italy to the top of the F1 world also on the driver front.
Only 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli is basking in the day as the new top driver of the F1 series. PDO
Kimi Antonelli drove the Japanese GP to victory. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver is not yet out of his teenage years, but he has risen to the top of the F1 world.
The second win in a row put Antonelli in the top spot in the World Championship points. It’s the latest feather in the man’s hat when it comes to age records. Already earlier, Antonelli had claimed the pole position, the fastest lap and the lead lap as the youngest driver.
The youngest wins first Max Verstappen’s in the name probably forever, thanks to the new rules of the F1 series. The Dutchman won the Spanish GP 2016 when he was only 18 years old. It’s not even a matter of getting on the F1 starting grid at a younger age.
In Antonelli’s eyes, the tastiest age record of all is currently held: The youngest world champion in the history of the F1 series.
At the moment, the number one in the statistics is Sebastian Vettel. The German was 23 years old in his first World Cup season in 2010, so Antonelli has time on his side.
Restorer of Italy’s reputation
The legendary Alberto Ascari is the previous Italian world champion. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Italy is the land of the Formula Ones. But not on the driver front.
Ferrari is, of course, everything in the land of boots, but during the 76-year history of the series, countless Italian teams, drivers, tracks, sponsors and you know what have been seen on the tracks.
But successful drivers have remained in the twilight of history.
Antonelli’s current mood is manna for Italian F1 fans.
He updated a couple of soured stats to new ones.
– He became the first Italian to lead the World Series since then Giancarlo Fisichella and 2005. Fisico won the 2005 season-opening Australian GP.
– He became the first Italian to win two races in a row Alberto Ascari and 1953. So, a 73-year-old statistic became new in one fell swoop.
As incomprehensible as it is, Ascari is also the previous Italian Formula One world champion. The best driver of his era dominated the series in 1952 and 1953.
Antonelli’s world championship, whether it happens already this season or only in the next few years, would certainly be a welcome update to this statistic.
