Securing the 2026 world drivers' championship at just 20 years and 68 days old is a massive, history-book-shattering achievement. But for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the most overwhelming part of the Mexico City Grand Prix did not even happen on the asphalt. It happened after the chequered flag.

Sharing the podium with race winner Max Verstappen and runner-up Lewis Hamilton is intimidating enough. Then, in a brilliant moment of unscripted sportsmanship, the two heavyweights hoisted the newly minted Mercedes champion on their shoulders. It was the ultimate 'welcome to the club' gesture for the kid who just rewrote the F1 record books.

Jumping on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, Antonelli finally broke down the emotional weight of that exact moment.

Earning the ultimate nod of respect

Getting the public seal of approval from guys who have spent a decade trading blows at the absolute pinnacle of motorsport left the 20-year-old completely floored.

"This moment on the podium is one of those memories that will live forever," Antonelli confessed. "First of all, to see so much respect and appreciation from the two drivers that have made the history of the sport... and they're still doing so because they're still competing at the top."

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images

The impromptu heavy-lifting session caught the new champion entirely off guard, instantly melting away that icy composure he carried all season.

"What they did, picking me up on the podium, is a moment that I will always be grateful for," he admitted. "It was also unexpected for me, and once they picked me up, I was just so happy, and I got so emotional as well."

A record-smashing keepsake

That podium celebration perfectly captured the passing of the torch in Formula 1. By locking down the crown at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Antonelli officially obliterated Sebastian Vettel's long-standing record to become the youngest world champion in F1 history. Just for good measure, he also snapped a brutal 73-year drought, becoming the first driver from Italy to win the World Championship since the legendary Alberto Ascari did it way back in 1953.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Despite those massive statistical flexes, the human element of the post-race ceremony clearly left the biggest mark on the young prodigy. Antonelli knows an iconic photo op when he sees one, and he has zero intention of letting this memory get buried in the camera roll.

"That picture, I will frame it and put it on the wall because it's such a special memory and such a special moment," he concluded with a smile.