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Kimi Antonelli was crowned
Formula 1 World Champion at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing on the
third step of the podium in a race won by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull
driver took victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line in second
place.
For the Italian, it is a historic achievement because, at just
20 years of age, he becomes the youngest World Champion in Formula 1
history. Until now, the record belonged to four-time World Champion
Sebastian Vettel, who claimed his first title at the age of 23.
The
podium, set against the backdrop of the circuit named after the Rodríguez
brothers, featured only World Champions: Verstappen boasts four titles,
Hamilton has won seven, and Antonelli has now added his first to his tally.
Verstappen secured victory thanks to a two-stop strategy. The Dutchman
started on Medium tyres before switching to Softs on lap 27. After
completing 18 laps on the C5 compound, the race was halted by a red flag.
Verstappen took advantage of the interruption to fit another set of Soft
tyres and subsequently held off Hamilton’s charge to the chequered flag.
The Ferrari driver had started on Softs before switching to Mediums.
During the Safety Car period that preceded the red flag, he fitted another
set of Softs. At the restart, Hamilton opted once again for Softs, using a
previously run set. The Ferrari man set the fastest lap of the race on both
the red-marked and yellow-marked compounds.
Antonelli, meanwhile,
started on Softs and waited until lap 43 before switching to Mediums. The
Italian also took advantage of the red flag to fit another used set of
Softs. It was a strategy that enabled him to secure third place and, more
importantly, the World Championship.
Kimi Antonelli is the third
Italian driver in Formula 1 history to win the World Championship. His two
predecessors also achieved the feat using exclusively Pirelli tyres.
Giuseppe “Nino” Farina claimed the title in the inaugural World Championship
season of 1950, contesting six races on Pirelli tyres, while Alberto Ascari
secured his second consecutive crown in 1953, winning all eight Grands Prix
he entered that year on Pirelli rubber.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI –
PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli on winning the World Championship. It is
a thoroughly deserved success, built on the consistency he has demonstrated
throughout the season and sealed today with another outstanding performance,
culminating in a podium finish in a race packed with drama alongside two
World Champions.
Without the neutralisations, a one-stop strategy
would have been the most competitive option for this Grand Prix. Both the
Soft and Medium compounds proved capable of covering around half the race
distance, making it possible to complete the event with a single tyre
change. The C5 once again confirmed itself as the benchmark compound in
terms of grip and driver confidence, although the performance gap to the C4
was very small, with both compounds showing similar levels of degradation.
It was therefore no surprise that every driver chose the Soft for the final
stint after the Safety Car, despite also having the Hard compound available.
From a technical perspective, tyre behaviour was very positive. We
recorded no significant graining, and degradation remained within expected
levels, proving lower than what had been observed on Friday.
A
lock-up by Leclerc at the restart following the red flag also provided
further evidence of the robustness of Formula 1 tyres. The tyre sliding
across the asphalt caused particularly severe localised wear on the
front-left tyre, bringing it very close to the internal structural layers.
This is certainly not a routine occurrence, but it is one that is
consistently taken into account throughout Pirelli’s development and
validation processes, including through rigorous indoor testing programmes.
The ultimate objective is to ensure that the tyre maintains an appropriate
level of integrity even under extreme conditions, allowing drivers to
continue racing in complete safety.
The performance of the Soft
compound was particularly interesting, as demonstrated by Antonelli’s
lengthy stint. He completed 43 laps while maintaining very limited
degradation and a competitive pace right through to the closing stages of
the race.
The C3, meanwhile, was not considered by the teams because,
under race conditions, it did not offer any performance advantage over the
two softer compounds. Overall, the data collected confirmed a very clear
picture, fully consistent with the simulations carried out before the event,
both in terms of degradation and the competitiveness of the various
strategic options.”
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