With another Formula One season coming to a close, all anyone is talking about is the championship title fight. The 2026 season has been a dramatic one, with the new regulations being the center of the conversation. When the FIA announced that the cars and rules would change in 2026, the fans were questioning whether it would make the sport better or not. One of the most common predictions for this season was Mercedes being the dominant team. The title winner prediction was George Russell, who has been on the grid since 2019 and driving for Mercedes since 2022. Russell’s teammate, Kimi Antonelli, was not even a thought in people’s mind to win.
Joining the grid just last season, twenty year old Kimi has been quite impressive. People often compare him to racing legend Aryton Senna, setting his expectations extremely high early on in his career. Last season he achieved three podiums, but no wins. This completely turned around in 2026, as in China, the second race of the season, Kimi was able to secure his first win. The next four races all ended up in Antonelli wins, making people start to question their original predictions. It seemed as though George would not be holding the trophy after all.Â
The season continued to be “the Kimi show” as he won another four races. As of today, Kimi currently has nine wins, tied with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who has been driving in the series since 2018. Genuinely no one could have predicted this outcome from this season; I know I did not! This past weekend was the Mexican Grand Prix and all Kimi Antonelli needed to win the World Driver’s Championship was to finish the race in P9 or higher, then the title fight is over with four more races still left. (Spoiler alert: he ended up winning with a strong P3 finish!)
People have had much to say about Formula One this year. Many claimed that this season felt like a filler episode or that they have lost interest in watching due to the Mercedes dominance. Some fans are upset that Kimi won over George due to their age and commitment to the sport. This is where the argument becomes complicated. I believe that yes, it does make sense that George would win over Kimi; he is the more experienced driver after all. But, Formula One has never been about how long you have been in the sport. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, won his first title at twenty-three years old in his second season. If you are skilled, have a good car, and lucked out on strategy, you will have a high chance of winning. George just happened to have an unlucky season, with car reliability issues being his biggest roadblock.Â
The argument that Kimi does not deserve to win the championship is not a new one in this sport. People were saying this last year with Lando Norris, as he was the 2025 WDC winner. No matter what, if they are not a fan of the driver, they will often hate whoever is winning. It is unfair, as Kimi has had a stellar season, as well as Lando last year. Everyone on the grid is deserving of a championship win, especially when they put in the work and dominate the season. Hating Kimi for having a good car or being “too young” does not achieve anything. It is easy for us to get sucked into this mentality as we want our driver to win. I have always liked Kimi and while I was wanting Lando to defend his title and win this year as well, I do not see the use in fighting the truth: Kimi Antonelli genuinely outperformed the entire grid this season. While I wish we had a more exciting season with more of a variety of winners and drivers on the podium, I still enjoyed watching Lando race with the number one and having dominant wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. I send a huge congratulations to Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes for winning this WDC and having a dominant season.