KIMI ANTONELLI burst into tears after becoming the youngest ever F1 world champion in Mexico. 

He finished in third behind the 11 world championships of Lewis Hamilton in second and Max Verstappen in first – who both took a bow to the 20-year-old.

It is only Antonelli’s second season in the sport as he became the first Italian driver to win the title in 73 years.

A message from tennis star Jannik Sinner as well as Antonelli’s school teacher and pictures of his old classmates, came onto the screens before the race. 

It was a reminder that outside the glitzy world of F1, Antonelli is barely out of school and was only a teenager a few months ago.

Above all he still carries the air of a kid in a sweet shop despite smashing four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel’s record by three years. 

Antonelli was just four years old and playing with toy cars when Vettel broke the record in 2010 for the youngest ever F1 world champion at age 23. 

Hamilton, who started on a record 105th pole position, was once scribbling autographs for a baby-faced Antonelli but is now watching him follow in his footsteps. 

Antonelli only passed his driving test just weeks before making his F1 debut with Mercedes last year. 

And this season ten glittering wins transported the unflappable Italian to championship glory, with barely a mistake en route, as he soaked up the pressure. 

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He was born in Bologna on August 25, 2006 just a few months before McLaren confirmed that Hamilton would race for them the next season. 

While most of his F1 rivals live in Monaco, Antonelli now resides in San Marino, the small republic housed inside Italy, about 80 miles from Bologna. 

He says he can still visit the supermarket, the pub and the bowling alley without being pestered, yet his superstar status will surely change that now. 

He was already cemented as an icon with his jaw-dropping victory from 19th on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix in September. 

It made him the first Italian winner of that race since 1966 and showed just why Antonelli deserved to be crowned the nation’s first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. 

Yet he seems just like the same kid who climbed into a go-kart at age five, which his father Marco introduced him to. 

Many wrote off Antonelli before he’d even started with Mercedes in F1 with critics claiming he was too young and inexperienced, but they did that at their own peril. 

He was soon rightly drawing comparisons with his idol Ayrton Senna, who he grew up watching DVDs of.

In terms of the racing, there was chaos on the opening lap as Leclerc nipped past Hamilton for Turn Four, but went across the grass as the two Ferraris battled it out. 

Seven-time world champion Hamilton was then passed by Verstappen on the exit as the Dutchman took second. 

A fuming Hamilton, who had also veered off the track during his tussle with Leclerc, said on the team radio: “Pushed out by my own team mate”. 

The incident was investigated by the stewards and then race leader Leclerc was slapped with a five-second time penalty. 

Meanwhile, behind the Ferrari clash, Isack Hadjar spun off but managed to recover and Russell was hit with a 10-second penalty for causing a collision amid the melee.  

The opening laps worked out nicely for Antonelli who held his grid position of fourth and was ahead of Russell too.

The Virtual Safety Car was called into action as both Aston Martins retired and Lance Stroll’s car had to be pushed away due to poor parking on the side of the track. 

As Leclerc pushed ahead, Hamilton grumbled again on the radio “The stewards are basically handing Charles this win. We agreed in the drivers’ briefing.”

Leclerc and Verstappen both pitted on lap 28 with the Dutchman reemerging in fifth, one place ahead of the Ferrari before Hamilton followed suit. 

The red flag was called into action on lap 46 as medics attended to Valtteri Bottas after a heavy 320 km/h crash into the barriers following a suspension failure. 

Luckily the Cadillac driver was able to walk away from the incident mainly unhurt as he gave the thumbs up, despite looking shaken. 

Stewards had to repair the barrier as there was a delay for around half an hour.

Hamilton’s temper continued to flare as he came onto the radio to say: “We’ve got big problems” having pitted under the safety car. 

At the restart, Verstappen held the lead as a feisty Hamilton bulldozed past Leclerc for second before Antonelli nipped past the Monegasque driver too. 

Hamilton and Verstappen made contact at the first corner, which was noted by the stewards but there was no further investigation. 

Verstappen was noted for a false start for being out of position on the grid, but he avoided a penalty. 

The safety car was called into action again on lap 59 as young Brit Arvid Lindblad crashed out. 

Verstappen didn’t put a foot wrong at the restart and Hamilton, in second, was hot on his tail. 

The two world champions led Antonelli over the line as the young Italian’s legacy among those two legends began.