F1's youngest race winners: How Kimi Antonelli can break Max Verstappen's record

Antonelli, Verstappen,socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

F1's youngest race winners: How Antonelli can break Verstappen's record

The Japanese Grand Prix is Kimi Antonelli's last chance to break Max Verstappen's record

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 3 April 2025 17:14

The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix could see Max Verstappen's record as the youngest ever Formula 1 race winner smashed by Kimi Antonelli - but Sunday's race at Suzuka is the Italian's last chance.

Verstappen displaced Sebastian Vettel as the youngest ever race winner back in 2016, with his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in his first Red Bull outing.

The Dutchman achieved this at the age of 18 years, 7 months and 15 days, and in Barcelona cemented himself as a star of the future after an astonishing drive to fend off multiple Ferrari attacks from Kimi Raikkonen.

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Fast forward nearly nine years, and Verstappen now has four world drivers' championships to his name, and also a potential challenger to his F1 accolade - but how exactly can Kimi Antonelli become F1's youngest race winner?

How can Antonelli become F1's youngest race winner?

The Italian teenager's birth date is August 25, 2006, which means his age will be 18 years, 7 months and 12 days on Sunday for the Japanese Grand Prix, and just below Verstappen's age when he won the 2016 Spanish GP.

Sunday's race at Suzuka will be the last chance Antonelli can break this record, with the next race taking place on Sunday, April 13 in Bahrain, where he will no longer be young enough to challenge for the record.

Antonelli was also eligible for the record at the Australian and Chinese grands prix where he finished P4 and P8 respectively, a solid start to his rookie season.

The 18-year-old has only just passed his road driving test however, and shared a picture of the achievement just weeks before his F1 debut in Melbourne.

Who are F1's youngest race winners?

Verstappen currently holds the record for the youngest F1 race winner, and prior to that Sebastian Vettel was the youngest winner with Toro Rosso back in 2008.

Here are the top ten youngest F1 drivers ever to win a race in the series:

Note: Troy Ruttman's victory at the 1952 Indianapolis 500 counts on this list, as the race was part of the official 1952 World Drivers' Championship season.

Driver	Age	Grand Prix	Team
Max Verstappen	18y 07m 15d	Spain 2016	Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel	21y 02m 11d	Italy 2008	Toro Rosso
Charles Leclerc	21y 10m 16d	Belgium 2019	Ferrari
Fernando Alonso	22y 00m 26d	Hungary 2003	Renault
Troy Ruttman	22y 02m 19d	Indianapolis 1952	J. C. Agajanian
Bruce McLaren	22y 03m 12d	USA 1959	Cooper-Climax
Lewis Hamilton	22y 05m 03d	Canada 2007	McLaren
Oscar Piastri	23y 03m 15d	Hungary 2024	McLaren
Kimi Raikkonen	23y 05m 06d	Malaysia 2003	McLaren
Robert Kubica	23y 06m 01d	Canada 2008	BMW-Sauber