Verstappen remains F1’s youngest race winner ahead of Antonelli
Max Verstappen won at 18 years and 228 days. Compare F1’s five youngest race winners and see where Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 China victory ranks.
Max Verstappen is the youngest F1 race winner, aged 18 years and 228 days. He set the record by winning the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 15 May 2016, driving for Red Bull Racing. Guinness World Records records the exact age and date.
He remains first in the ranking as of 28 October 2026. Kimi Antonelli’s first victory in China in March 2026 put the Mercedes driver second—not ahead of Verstappen—in the all-time winners-by-age table.
The five youngest F1 race winners
This ranking measures each driver’s age at their first World Championship race victory. Each driver appears once; it is not a list of every race won by a teenager or young driver. Sprint victories are outside this Grand Prix comparison.
| Rank | Driver | Age at first win | First victory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 18 years, 7 months, 15 days | Spain, 2016 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | 19 years, 6 months, 18 days | China, 2026 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | 21 years, 2 months, 11 days | Italy, 2008 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 21 years, 10 months, 16 days | Belgium, 2019 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 22 years, 26 days | Hungary, 2003 |
Source: STATS F1’s driver wins-by-age ranking, checked through 28 October 2026. Ages use calendar years, months and days. Verstappen’s table entry is the same age as the headline figure of 18 years and 228 days, expressed differently.
How Verstappen won the record-setting race
Spain 2016 was Verstappen’s first race for Red Bull Racing, following his move from Toro Rosso. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the opening lap, removing both Mercedes cars from contention and opening the race to Red Bull and Ferrari.
Tyre strategy then separated the four leading contenders. Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen made two stops, while Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel made three. Verstappen held off Räikkönen to secure the victory on his team debut. Red Bull’s contemporary race report describes the promotion, opening-lap collision and split strategies.
The official F1 classification gives the result precisely: Verstappen completed 66 laps in 1:41:40.017, with Räikkönen 0.616 seconds behind and Vettel third.
Did Antonelli break Verstappen’s record?
No. Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix on 15 March 2026, aged 19. Reuters identified him as the second-youngest race winner in F1 history. The official result confirms a Mercedes one-two, with George Russell finishing 5.515 seconds behind him.
Antonelli moved ahead of Vettel in the age ranking, but Verstappen remains the only winner whose first victory came before his 19th birthday. Starting an F1 race is a separate milestone from winning one; see our youngest F1 driver comparison for that record.