Former youngest champion Emerson Fittipaldi hails Kimi Antonelli's rise

Sao Paulo: Emerson Fittipaldi said the emergence of increasingly younger title winners was a natural progression of the sport, with drivers now beginning their careers much earlier than previous generations, as he hailed Mercedes' 20-year-old world champion Kimi Antonelli.

Brazilian Fittipaldi became the sport's youngest world champion aged 25 in 1972 and held that record until a then 24-year-old Fernando Alonso eclipsed it in 2005.

After Antonelli's success with Mercedes this season, Fittipaldi no longer ranks among the five youngest title winners, a shift he said reflects how modern athletes begin competing at elite levels from early childhood.


"I think it's great to see the new generation arriving, as in every sport at the international level," the 79-year-old Fittipaldi told Reuters at Interlagos on Saturday ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

"Today, young people start at six, five or four years old."

Antonelli was introduced to go-karting when he was aged five by his father and competed in Formula Two before making his F1 debut last year. He now heads the list of youngest champions ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Alonso and Max Verstappen.

The Brazilian's own rise was markedly different. Fittipaldi was 17 when he began go-karting and became Formula One world champion eight years later, one of the sport's most meteoric ascents.

For the double champion, who won his titles in 1972 and 1974 for Lotus and McLaren respectively, Antonelli's achievement is evidence not only of changing times but also of exceptional talent.

"He has already shown maturity and performed very well under pressure," he said, pointing to the Italian's victory at his home race at Monza after starting 19th on the grid as proof of his composure.

Antonelli also singled out the race as one of the defining moments of his championship-winning campaign.

"Because after taking the engine penalty, obviously starting from the back, I did not expect such a result. And when I got that, I was like, 'okay, now we just, no matter what, we've got to go and win this'," he told Reuters this week.