Youngest F1 Race Winner: All-Time List As Antonelli Bids For Chinese Grand Prix Glory

The Youngest F1 Race Winner record is still held by Max Verstappen, but 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli could join the list with victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. A win on Sunday would slot Antonelli into the all-time rankings at number two, behind only Verstappen.

Youngest F1 Race Winner: Verstappen’s Benchmark

Max Verstappen became the youngest race winner in Formula 1 when he won the Spanish Grand Prix in his first outing for Red Bull. He displaced Sebastian Vettel in 2016, having taken the victory at the age of 18 years, 7 months and 15 days. The Barcelona performance saw him fend off multiple Ferrari attacks and establish himself as a future star; nearly a decade on, he now holds four world titles and his youngest-winner record still stands.

Antonelli’s Chance In Shanghai

Kimi Antonelli, 19, is on pole for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. If he converts that pole into a race win on Sunday, he would move onto the all-time list of youngest Grand Prix winners in second place behind Verstappen. The possibility of a new name joining the rankings is the principal development to watch at the event.

All-Time Top Ten Youngest Winners

The top ten youngest drivers to win a World Championship Grand Prix are listed below, with the ages and events given as recorded:

• 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

Note: Troy Ruttman’s win at the 1952 Indianapolis 500 counts on this list because that race formed part of the official 1952 World Drivers’ Championship season.

There is only one current driver on the grid who could still break Verstappen’s overall youngest-winner record: Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. He turns 19 on Aug 8, so any attempt to surpass Verstappen would require a victory in the immediate weeks ahead.

The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai will decide whether Antonelli becomes the next driver added to the list. If he secures victory, the reshuffle of the all-time rankings will place him directly behind Verstappen; if not, Verstappen’s benchmark remains intact for the time being.