These are the youngest F1 race winners in history
After Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden F1 grand prix win in China, he became the second youngest race winner in history – here's who takes the top spot
In the second race of his second season in Formula 1, Mercedes racer Kimi Antonelli picked up his first grand prix victory. In the process, he became the second youngest F1 race winner in the championship’s history at just 19 years old.
Antonelli missed out on the crown of becoming F1’s youngest grand prix winner by less than a year – and that’s a record that looks tricky to topple after the FIA tweaked the entry requirements for Formula 1.
So, to find out which driver brought about this change, here are the 10 youngest grand prix winners in F1 history.
Kimi Raikkonen
First grand prix win: 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
Age: 23 years, 157 days
Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen picked up his first F1 win in his third season in the series. Raikkonen qualified in seventh for the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix, but contact near the front between Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli massively shook up the order, and by the end of lap 1 the Fin was in fourth. On lap 3, he passed Nick Heidfeld for third, before team-mate David Coulthard retired and he inherited second. He then took the lead after the first stops, and practically held onto it until the chequered flag.
Oscar Piastri
First grand prix win: 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix
Age: 23 years, 106 days
Oscar Piastri joined McLaren for the 2023 season, managing a best result of second in his debut season. A year later, he improved on that and picked up his first win in a controversial 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Australian qualified second behind team-mate Lando Norris, but took the lead off the line after a strong start. However, the Brit made use of the powerful undercut at the Hungaroring to take the lead after the stops. He was later forced by his team to concede the place to Piastri, who had missed out.
Lewis Hamilton
First grand prix win: 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
Age: 22 years, 154 days
In Lewis Hamilton’s debut season, he took to the podium in each of his first five races and won the sixth grand prix he entered – the 2007 Canadian race. Hamilton claimed his first pole position ahead of the race, and led McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso off the line. The race was full of drama up and down the order, except for Hamilton who had a controlled drive to win the race by more than four seconds.
Bruce McLaren
First grand prix win: 1959 United States Grand Prix
Age: 22 years, 103 days
In his first full season driving for the Cooper factory F1 team, New Zealander Bruce McLaren triumphed in the 1959 US Grand Prix to claim his first victory. McLaren won the race at Sebring International Raceway and set a new record for the youngest F1 winner, which would stand for more than 40 years.
Troy Ruttman
First grand prix win: 1952 Indianapolis 500
Age: 22 years, 80 days
Before McLaren’s US GP win, Troy Ruttman was the previous record holder following his victory in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 – a time when the prestigious US race formed part of the F1 championship. Ruttman’s 1952 entry marked his fourth attempt at the 500, and became his only win in 12 entries in the historic race.
Fernando Alonso
First grand prix win: 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
Age: 22 years, 26 days
Spanish racer Alonso was another driver to pick up his first race win in his second season of Formula 1. After a year with Minardi in 2002, Alonso switched to Renault for the 2003 season and picked up a podium on only his second event with the team. His first win came on round 13 in Hungary, when the outfit rolled out the updated R23B with the aim of taking the fight to Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc
First grand prix win: 2019 Belgian Grand Prix
Age: 21 years, 320 days
After a year at Alfa Romeo, Charles Leclerc made the step up to Ferrari in 2019 and picked up his first race win with the historic team that same year. Having already taken to the podium five times over the course of the 2019 season, Leclerc arrived back from the summer break in Belgium with victory on his mind. He won the race in Spa, and made it back-to-back victories with a win in Italy a week later.
Sebastian Vettel
First grand prix win: 2008 Italian Grand Prix
Age: 21 years, 73 days
After contesting half a season with Toro Rosso in 2007, German racer Sebastian Vettel claimed his first F1 win in his first full season in the series – and did it at a chaotic Italian Grand Prix. The German mastered a very wet qualifying to put his car on pole for the Monza race, and his handling of the conditions continued on Sunday, when he won the race by more than 12 seconds.
Kimi Antonelli
First grand prix win: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
Age: 19 years, 202 days
At just 19 years old, Antonelli became the second youngest F1 race winner in the second race of his second season in the championship. Antonelli put his car on pole in China, and despite losing the lead off the line to the quick-starting Ferraris, kept a cool head to retake the lead and claim his inaugural grand prix win.
Max Verstappen
First grand prix win: 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
Age: 18 years, 228 days
But there’s just one driver who managed to win a race younger than Antonelli, and that’s Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and qualified fourth for his first race with the senior team. After the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed in dramatic style on the opening lap, Verstappen fought against team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and the Ferrari of Vettel to take his first F1 victory.
