This season is definitely Kimi Antonelli's season. He has made and broken history so far in the first few races. Since claiming his maiden victory at the Chinese GP in his second season in the car back in March, he has continued to prove the doubters wrong. That he deserved the Mercedes seat at such a young age, and living up to the legacy and expectations left by Lewis Hamilton, he has since gone on an extraordinary winning streak that has placed him among the sport’s greatest champions.
In China, he became the youngest-ever post-sitter in F1 history and the second-youngest race winner of all time, behind only Max Verstappen. This victory ended a 20-year wait for an Italian F1 race winner; the previous one was back in 2006, before Antonelli was even born.
Since his maiden victory, he has gone on to win five consecutive Grand Prix- Japan, Miami, Canada and now Monaco. He now puts himself alongside world champions like Nigel Mansell, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark to achieve such a feat. Also, drivers who won five consecutive races went on to win the world championship that season and have never failed to win one.
Others in the modern era who have achieved this feat include Lewis Hamilton, who has done so twice. However, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg have recorded longer winning streaks.
Historically, at Monaco, he became the youngest driver to win a whole 12 months after he finished 18th last season at the same track. He also secured his first career grand slam in Monte Carlo, Achieving pole position, leading all 78 laps, and setting the fastest lap to add to the race win; he became the 28th driver to achieve a grand slam. However, given Monaco's narrow layout and how difficult overtaking is, it is not a surprise that the driver on pole has won in the last six out of eight editions.
If it was not for a late safety car, a red flag, and a standing start, the Italian could have had the largest winning margin in Monaco in the 21st century, as at one stage in the race, he was leading by 30 seconds over Lewis Hamilton. His win at Monaco, which brought the total to five consecutive races, made him the first Italian driver to achieve such a streak since Alberto Ascari in 1952, as the 19-year-old became the most successful Italian driver of the modern era.
He became the youngest driver to lead the championship following his back-to-back victories in Japan and is currently ahead by 66 points of second-placed Lewis Hamilton. Australia, the first race of the season, is the only race he has not won; it was won by his Mercedes teammate, George Russell.
He has also set his own records and milestones, including being the first driver in F1 history to win his first four races consecutively and becoming the first driver ever to convert each of his first pole positions into race victories. In doing so, he matched F1 icons Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to take pole position in each of their first three starts, while surpassing them by winning all three races as well.
At 19 years old, he is proving that age does not always determine skill; he became the youngest driver to lead a GP and the youngest to set the fastest lap.
This record-breaking streak is not uncommon for the youngster, who, in his debut season last year, finished seventh in the drivers' standings with 150 points, surpassing Hamilton's long-standing rookie record for points scored in a full season. This season saw a pole position and a podium in the sprint race.
Despite his historic start, several major milestones remain possible. These include becoming the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history, a record currently held by Sebastian Vettel, as well as setting new benchmarks for most wins before the age of 21, most pole positions early in a career, and best season ever by a driver under 20.
Antonelli has already broken 12 major Formula 1 records across his 2025 rookie season and 2026. His trajectory reflects a shift in Formula 1 toward younger drivers delivering immediate dominance, pushing the limits previously set by Max Verstappen and redefining what is possible at the start of a Grand Prix career.
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