Vettel says he would be “very happy” to lose his youngest-champion record to Antonelli
The record Vettel set at Yas Marina in 2010 is under threat from Mercedes' 20-year-old leader.
Sebastian Vettel has no plans to cling to his record. Asked by PlanetF1 whether he minded Kimi Antonelli closing in on his mark as F1's youngest world champion, the four-time champion replied: “No, I'd be very happy for him.” He added that records are there to be broken.
Vettel won his first title in 2010 at the age of 23 years, 4 months and 11 days, RacingNews365 notes, and he did it at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, winning the race at Yas Marina to jump from third to first in the standings.
Antonelli is 20 and leads the 2026 championship by 102 points after Singapore. He has already become F1's youngest pole-sitter, in China, and the youngest driver to lead the standings, PlanetF1 reports. RacingNews365 adds that a title would also end Italy's wait for a champion, which goes back to Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Vettel told PlanetF1 he knows how much work goes into a championship, and said Antonelli still has many years ahead of him. Antonelli's first chance to seal it is the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday 25 October, where he needs to leave with a lead of at least 126 points.
If he does not wrap it up earlier, the final round at Yas Marina on Sunday 6 December would be the last chance, sixteen years after Vettel set the record on the same track.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026Race day Sun 6 Dec · Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: PlanetF1, RacingNews365, Wikipedia: 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Grande Prêmio
