Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Kimi Antonelli is being backed as a potential candidate for the 2026 Formula 1 title, and fans believe he can make history this season.
After an up-and-down debut season in F1 in 2025, the Italian finds himself in a strong position to clinch the championship in 2026. Mercedes are the team to beat under the new regulations, having claimed a 1-2 finish at the Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell took the victory in Melbourne, with the Brit being seen as the clear favourite for the title. But many people are not discounting Antonelli after he showcased his potential in 2025 and at the start of this season.
Has Max Verstappen just proven that he does not see Kimi Antonelli as a 2026 F1 title threat?
The 19-year-old claimed his first pole position for the Sprint in Miami last year, as well as three podiums across the season. He started 2026 strongly as he locked out the front row with teammate Russell and finished second.
Martin Brundle likened Antonelli to Michael Schumacher after seeing how he immediately turned his performance around following a crash in FP3. Brundle thinks Antonelli will keep Russell ‘on his toes’ in 2026.
Furthermore, fans are backing the young Italian to set a record this season, and it is a feat that F1 legends such as Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton never achieved.
F1 fans back Kimi Antonelli to become the first teenage polesitter in 2026
With his Miami Sprint pole, Antonelli is the youngest polesitter in any race format in F1. However, he is yet to grab a Grand Prix pole, and at 19 years old, he would be the first teenager in history to get one in 2026.
At 21 years, 2 months and 11 days old, Vettel holds the record for the youngest polesitter with his incredible performance at Monza with Toro Rosso in 2008. The likes of Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Verstappen, Lando Norris and Hamilton follow close behind.
No teenage driver has ever grabbed pole position, and fans on Reddit believe Antonelli will be the one to break that streak: “Kimi had a sprint pole last year, so it’s possible,” said one fan.
No teenager has ever grabbed a pole position in Formula 1
Will Kimi Antonelli become the first in 2026? 🤔
“I mean all it takes is Russell’s engine blowing up during one qualifying and Kimi has a good chance,” said one user, while another agreed: “Same, I think Russell will need to have an issue during quali for that to happen. Or Kimi will need to make huge gains from last year which is definitely possible.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Kimi will be on pole this year,” one fan confidently wrote. “The kid’s good, really really good, and all it will take is the slightest bobble from Russell for it to happen…or maybe not even that.
“What’s always amazing to me is seeing Max at #4 with only 3 months behind Alonso when he already had 5 years under his belt at this point. But yes, Antonelli absolutely will smash this record this year somewhere. We shouldn’t have any doubts,” noted another.
Finally, one said: “What makes me more confident about Antonelli is that it seems he has a superior car in this year’s grid, so all he has to do is to beat Russell at least once, it’s a big challenge of course against Mr Saturday, but I feel he can do it, and he already did it last year but in a sprint qualifying.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Lewis Hamilton was not a teenager when he reached F1, while Sebastian Vettel was not with a top team
With Antonelli turning 20 on August 25, he has until the Dutch Grand Prix, round 14 of the 2026 season, to become the first teenager to clinch pole position. He is likely to break Vettel’s record anyway, but he has 13 races to make history as a 19-year-old.
It might come as a surprise to see so many big names that never achieved a pole position in their teenage years. However, the truth is that most of them were not with top teams when they made their debut in F1, unlike Antonelli at Mercedes.
For instance, Vettel made his debut in 2007 with BMW, who, at the time, were not on the level of Ferrari and McLaren. Alonso debuted with Minardi in 2001, while Verstappen started with Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s junior team, in 2015.
Despite being 18 years old when he joined the main Red Bull team, the Dutchman did not achieve a pole position until he was 21 at the 2019 Hungarian GP. Hamilton was 22 when he made his debut with McLaren in 2007.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
