Sebastian Vettel revealed he will be very happy to see Kimi Antonelli break his historic record as Formula 1's youngest world champion. Speaking from Monza, the four-time world champion acknowledged that records are meant to be broken and praised the Italian youngster's stellar performance throughout the season.
Vettel famously claimed the accolade in 2010 at the age of 23 years, four months and 11 days, surpassing Lewis Hamilton's previous benchmark. However, Antonelli is currently on track to secure the world title at just 20 years old, holding a commanding 81-point lead over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell following a victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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Subscribe"I'd be very happy for him," Vettel stated during the race weekend. "He had an incredible year. There's the old phrase that records are there to be broken. He still has a lot of years ahead of him to do so."
The German veteran emphasized his continued love for the sport and his appreciation for the immense effort required to reach the pinnacle of motorsport. "I'm independent and happy for him because I know how much work there is behind it to achieve it, and whoever will win will deserve it as well," he added.
Antonelli Continues To Smash Historic F1 Milestones
Antonelli has already eclipsed several of Vettel's early career milestones, including securing his maiden pole position and hat-trick at just 19 years old. The rising star expressed deep gratitude for the ongoing mentorship and messages of support he regularly receives from his predecessor.
"It's great. Seb is incredible," Antonelli shared regarding the relationship. "He's a friend of mine, always sends some messages after every race weekend or even before some of them. It's great to see so much support from him and so much appreciation as well."
Beyond threatening Vettel's ultimate status as the youngest title holder, Antonelli has systematically rewritten the record books during his meteoric rise in Formula 1. The Mercedes prodigy has already claimed records as the sport's youngest fastest-lap scorer, race leader, championship leader, and grand-chelem achiever.
These remarkable achievements have seen the Italian youngster snatch several records previously held by multi-time world champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Verstappen continues to hold individual records as the youngest driver to start a race, score points, claim a podium finish, and win a grand prix.