What happened to the 10 youngest drivers to compete in F1
Kimi Antonelli etched his name into the history books with his maiden Formula One win this season, but where are the other drivers remembered as the youngest in F1 history?
Just over one year after making his debut last season, Mercedes youngster Antonelli secured his first F1 race win at the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15.
In doing so, the Italian became just the second teenager to win a Formula One race at 19 years and 202 days.
However, Antonelli is far from the only teenager to compete in F1, as there have been more than a dozen earning a Grand Prix entry before their 20th birthday.
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The Mercedes star is third on the list of the top 10 youngest drivers in Formula One history, but how have the other nine got on, and where are they now?
#10 ā Fernando Alonso - 19 years, 7 months, 3 days
Given the fact that Alonso is now competing as the oldest driver in Formula One at 44 years old, it's easy to forget that he actually made his debut 25 years ago as one of three future stars to debut in 2001, alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya.
The Spaniard started his F1 career with backmarker team Minardi before taking a reserve role with Renault the following year.
Since then, Alonso has enjoyed various spells in and out of the sport with the likes of at McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine and current team Aston Martin, with his career highlights undoubtedly being winning consecutive Formula 1 World Championship titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault.
#9 ā Ricardo Rodriguez - 19 years, 6 months, 27 days
In 1961, Rodriguez, a talented cyclist and motorcyclist, made history as he became both the youngest person on the overall podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the youngest person to start an F1 race in just a matter of months.
The teenager made his debut during a guest appearance with Ferrari at Monza in 1961, impressing as he qualified second, and later returned for several Grands Prix the following year.
Tragically, Rodriguez's promising career was cut short when he was involved in a fatal crash aged just 20.
Just nine years later Rodriguezās brother, Pedro, who also raced in F1, also lost his life while racing at the Norisring in 1971, with Mexico Cityās race circuit now named the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to honour the pair.
#8 ā Mike Thackwell - 19 years, 5 months, 29 days
At the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, Thackwell took Rodriguez's place as the youngest-ever F1 driver as he made his debut for Tyrrell.
Thackwell made just one other F1 appearance during his motorsports career, starting for RAM Racing in 1984.
However, the New Zealander enjoyed a successful career away from the F1 track, securing the 1984 F2 title and winning other notable races such as the the Pau Grand Prix and Nurburgring 1000km.
#7 ā Lando Norris - 19 years, 4 months, 4 days
After impressing as McLaren's reserve driver in 2018, Norris became a part of the woking-based team's permanent lineup in 2019 alongside Carlos Sainz.
In his second season with the team, the Brit secured his first podium at the 2020 season opener in Austria, with his first race race win coming at the Miami Grand Prix in 2024.
Of course, the 26-year-old's career highlight came last year as he bested teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen to win the 2025 Driversā title in the final race of the season.
#6 ā Jaime Alguersuari - 19 years, 4 months, 3 days
Red Bull has always been known for ruthlessly changing their lineups and in 2009 this was no different as Alguersuari earned a mid-season promotion to Toro Rosso ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard raced for the remainder of the season as well as the the 2010 and 2011 campaigns, achieving a career-best finish of seventh on two occasions before being dropped in 2012.
Alguersuari never returned to F1 but raced elsewhere in Formula E and GT before retiring from racing in October 2015 at the age of 25 to pursue a career in music under the stage name DJ āSquireā.
#5 ā Oliver Bearman - 18 years, 10 months, 1 day
Bearman made his way onto the list of Formula One's youngest drivers at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, temporarily replacing Sainz at Ferrari while he was sidelined with appendicitis requiring surgery.
The young Brit finished seventh in the race and picked up two more race wins during the 2024 season, driving for Haas at in Azerbaijan and Brazil as a substitute for Kevin Magnussen.
Last year he was rewarded for his promising performances as he earned a spot as a permanent part of Haas' lineup, with various reports suggesting he could move to Ferrari as early as next year.
#5 ā Arvid Lindblad - 18 years, 6 months, and 29 days
Lindblad arrived to Formula One as the only rookie driver this year, making his debut with Racing Bulls at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
The British driver impressed on his debut, finishing eighth, five places ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.
In his second race Lindblad finished just outside of the points in 12th.
#3 ā Kimi Antonelli - 18 years, 6 months, 19 days
Ahead of his arrival to the sport in 2025, Antonelli was tipped by many to be the next big superstar in F1 following his impressive rise through motorsports, going from F4 to Formula Regional to F2 and finally F1 with Mercedes in just four years.
Now, one year after his debut in Australia last year, the Italian has proved that he can live up to the hype as he secured his maiden F1 win in just the second race of the season.
If he can keep the form up for the remainder of the year, the 19-year-old stands a chance of further surpassing all expectations and claiming his first Drivers' title.
#2 ā Lance Stroll - 18 years, 4 months, 25 days
After spending time as part of Ferrariās junior programme and as Williams test driver, Stroll was promoted to a full-time seat with the British team in 2017, following support from his billionaire dad Lawrence.
Questions were raised about his place in the sport but he quickly proved doubters wrong, picking up a points finish at his home race in Canada, a podium in Azerbaijan and a second row start at Monza.
His dad later took over Force India in August 2018, with Lance following suit ahead of the team rebranding to Racing Point and now Aston Martin where he still races today.
#1 ā Max Verstappen - 17 years, 5 months, 13 days
Not only if Verstappen the youngest driver ever to compete in Formula One, but he is also one of the sport's best-ever drivers.
The Dutchman has just one season of experience in single-seater racing before Red Bull saw his potential and handed him his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015 as a 17-year-old.
Just four races in 2016, he was promoted to Red Bull Racing, replacing Daniil Kvyat, and picked up an immediate victory in his first race with the team at the Spanish Grand Prix.
And the rest is history, as the 28-year-old is now a four-time World Champion with 48 pole positions, 71 Grand Prix wins and 127 podium finishes.
Topics:Ā Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris
Ben McCrum