Sebastian Vettel welcomed Kimi Antonelli’s bid to become F1’s youngest champion after the Mercedes driver claimed eight wins in the first 14 races of 2026.
Sebastian Vettel backed Kimi Antonelli’s pursuit of one of Formula 1’s defining age records for the Mercedes driver to replace him as the championship’s youngest title winner.
Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid on September 13, collecting his eighth victory through the first 14 races of 2026. Lewis Hamilton has declared there is “no stopping Antonelli,” giving Vettel’s response added weight.
Vettel’s record faces a live challenge
Vettel earned his place in this comparison. He retired with four World Drivers’ Championships, 53 race wins, 57 pole positions and 122 podiums. Only Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen sit above his victory total in the supplied all-time figures.
Antonelli hasn’t joined that career-total company. Instead, his significance lies in how quickly this title opportunity has arrived.
His 2026 victories have come in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Italy and Spain. The spread matters. He has won on street circuits and permanent tracks, across distinct race conditions, weakening any claim that his campaign relies on one narrow strength.
Vettel recognizes a familiar pattern. A young driver in the leading car is converting early promise into a sustained championship run before Formula 1’s established stars can stop him.
Eight wins change the historical frame
Antonelli completed 57 laps to win in Madrid. Verstappen finished 4.3 seconds behind, with Norris third at 5 seconds.
The result lifted Antonelli’s season total to eight wins, four times Russell’s two and equal to the combined tally of every non-Mercedes winner. Norris has two victories. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have one apiece.
The youngest-champion conversation has moved beyond novelty. Antonelli has won 57.1 percent of the opening 14 races, while Mercedes drivers have taken 10. Teammate Russell delivered the other two Mercedes victories in Australia and Austria.
“I’d be very happy”
Vettel’s brief line contains no defensiveness. He views records as targets to attack and places Antonelli’s campaign within Formula 1’s continuing generational cycle.
Mercedes gives the bid historical muscle
The driver’s story is inseparable from the car.
Mercedes led the teams’ standings with 503 points after Spain, 145 clear of Ferrari on 358. McLaren held third with 306, followed by Red Bull Racing on 230. That advantage gives Antonelli the support needed to turn speed into a championship, although Toto Wolff continues to warn against assuming the contest is settled.
This team campaign is approaching the scale of Mercedes’ strongest era. The constructor won eight consecutive championships from 2014 through 2021, the longest uninterrupted run in the supplied historical record. Its current total stands at eight titles, behind Ferrari’s 16, McLaren’s 10 and Williams’ nine.
One season cannot overturn that order. Still, 10 wins from 14 starts demands historical comparison, particularly with nine rounds remaining on the 23-race calendar.
Greatness has several scorecards
Antonelli’s rise also defines what a youngest-champion record can establish. Hamilton remains the cumulative statistical leader with 106 wins, 104 poles and 207 podiums. His seven championships match Schumacher’s title record.
Schumacher recorded 91 victories and 155 podiums. Verstappen stands at 71 wins and four titles, while Vettel’s four championships place him alongside Verstappen and Alain Prost in the supplied title totals. Juan Manuel Fangio’s five championships from a much shorter career support the strongest era-adjusted argument.
Becoming the youngest champion would give Antonelli a unique entry into the GOAT debate, rather than settle it. Longevity and repeated title defenses would still shape his eventual ranking, along with his performance outside a dominant season.
Baku supplies the next test
Antonelli’s next opportunity is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, round 15, scheduled for September 24 to 26. Abu Dhabi will close the season from December 4 to 6.
Vettel’s record now adds weekly pressure to the championship. Baku will offer the next concrete measure of whether Antonelli can continue turning a remarkable first title campaign into Formula 1 history.
