'The support has been incredible' – Antonelli reveals favourite messages after becoming World Champion

Kimi Antonelli admits that "the support has been incredible" since he became Formula 1's youngest World Champion, and has revealed his favourite messages ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Antonelli secured the 2026 title in his sophomore season last weekend after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming World Champion at the age of just 20.

The Mercedes driver beat the record for the youngest champion previously held by Sebastian Vettel, and revealed on Thursday's media day in Brazil that a video from the four-time World Champion had been a personal favourite amongst many.

"It’s been an amazing two days, but I still haven’t had enough time to realise and digest what has just happened. Definitely, I’m very happy. It still feels surreal," said Antonelli.

"I’ve received so many nice messages, so much support, and I’ve had a lot of videos from my hometown celebrating. The support has been incredible. It’s really hard to pick one single moment or one single action that impressed me the most because they were all super nice.

"But I think the message from Seb was very nice. It was very deep, with a lot of meaning behind it and a lot of advice for the future. So that was very nice.

"But I also got a lot from other drivers, from Max, Lewis, Charles. Everyone was super nice. Lando was super nice to me as well. So I’m very happy and grateful to see so much respect and support.

"I’ve also had the chance to recharge and enjoy a couple of days doing some really nice activities, especially spending time with the Senna family. That was truly incredible and something that I will remember forever.

"So yes, it’s been very demanding in some ways, but I’ve had the time and the chance to relax and recharge. It was also very nice to see so much excitement and support around me."

Mercedes can still claim the teams' title this weekend in Brazil and Antonelli admits beyond that, he is looking to just enjoy the remaining races while fighting for the wins.

"The goal coming here is to win. It’s a track that I love, and the fans are amazing here. So I’m really looking forward to it," said Antonelli.

"The goal is to have a great weekend, but also to enjoy the rest of the season. Obviously, we’ve still got races to go, races where we want to do well. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s definitely a really cool place to start everything again after clinching the title and to get a win."