Kimi's Rise: Youngest Ever F1 Leader

0:00It's April 8th, this is F1 News today, your AI-powered team coverage. Kimi Antonelli is calling his jump from rookie year a massive step forward, and right now in 2026, the Mercedes-Kid leaves the Formula One. Drivers championship by nine points after back-to-back wins. Coming into 2025 as an 18-year-old replacing Lewis Hamilton, he shocked everyone by finishing that wild-wed race in Melbourne. Only rookie to do it, earning his full-time seat. But it wasn't all smooth, crashes, weak qualifying runs, and car issues hid him mid-season before he bounced back with two podiums in the final four. Ravises. This year, experience plus a killer Mercedes car under new rules have been winning two of the first three Grands Prix with the team sweeping all races. And the sprint so far, he's the youngest ever to top the standings. He's closing the gap on teammate George Russell, especially in race pace, but amidst qualifying, particularly that final Q3 lap still needs work. To match David, next up in Miami where he already beat Russell last year

1:04could keep this Inter-Team fight lit.