’ve now reported on motorsport for 29 years and counting, with Formula 1 being my specialist area, and I have to admit that it has made me hardened to witnessing and reporting on numerous disappointments and serious injuries for drivers as well as several fatalities. However, at the same time, I’ve felt very privileged to have been on hand to cover so many racing success stories, and this weekend’s crowning of 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli as the youngest ever Formula 1 world champion in only his second season really stands out as one of my best experiences in this respect. The four-time champion, Sebastian Vettel, an equally likeable guy, had previously held the record as the youngest ever F1 champion at 23 years of age, but Antonelli has lowered the bar by a mighty three years.

In a world seriously impacted by unpleasant news stories full of conflict and negativity, the path to success for Antonelli has been phenomenal and a true fairytale come true, which has captured the hearts of his fellow Italians and so many more around the world. He is truly a once-in-a-generation talent, who is like a breath of fresh air, with his youthful exuberance and sheer ability bringing a smile to everyone’s face. I literally don’t know of anyone who isn’t delighted for him, both within and outside the motorsport world, with everyone feeling that his success has been thoroughly deserved. It’s true that he grew up in a family environment in Italy where his father was an amateur racing driver and then a lower-level team owner, which can only have helped, but to rise to the F1 ranks so rapidly while still a teenager has been simply phenomenal, and now this has gone a massive step further as the 2026 champion, becoming the first Italian to claim a Formula 1 world title since Alberto Ascari back in 1953.

The late, great three-time world champion, Ayrton Senna, has always been Antonelli’s racing hero, and he has vowed to retain his favoured number 12 on his Mercedes car for next season, ignoring the right of a new champion to adopt number 1 for the following year, as McLaren’s Lando Norris has this season. It’s no surprise that Senna had done likewise for McLaren with number 12 after his own first title success.

n other news, on the power unit front, it appears that, looking ahead, Aston Martin still remains committed to having Honda as its supplier despite the problems the team has experienced in 2026, and, also, Red Bull has indicated that it has no desire nor capacity to offer its own far more successful in-house units to one or more customer teams next year.

uring the build-up to the Mexico City Grand Prix round, the American Cadillac team announced that it had extended the contract of one of its two veteran drivers, Sergio Pérez, until at least the end of the 2029 season, and the timing was obviously deliberate as the always financially well-backed Mexican pedaller prepared for his home race. It has to be said that neither Pérez nor his Finnish teammate, Valtteri Bottas, have scored a single point for their rookie outfit so far this season, although there have been a few signs of overall improvement. However, Bottas is at risk of losing his 2027 seat to the American former IndyCar driver, Colton Herta, who is currently competing in Formula 2. With Cadillac fully aware of the benefits to be derived from having an American driver, Herta has been doing so in an attempt to gain sufficient points to qualify for the Super Licence needed to race in F1 but has hardly shone and is only 19th in the F2 drivers’ title rankings.

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