"A day I will remember forever," says Kimi Antonelli as he makes F1 history.
The youngest world champion in F1 history at just 20 years and 68 days old, surpassing Sebastian Vettel who was 23 years and 134 days old in 2010, Antonelli also becomes the first Italian to become world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, just the third Italian to win the world championship after Ascari and Giuseppe Farina.
He is also the first graduate of Mercedes junior programme to win the world championship adding a 10th title for the three-pointed star ('54, '55, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20).
"Yeah, I'm still trying to realise and understand at the moment what has just happened," he admitted, "because, you know, when you work so hard since I was a kid, I've been dreaming of achieving this, and when you finally achieve it, it's truly, truly special.
"To be able to share this moment, to witness this moment with my whole family, with my team and part of my friends as well, is a moment that will always be remembered," he added. "I'm just super happy and grateful for what has happened, all the opportunity and the support that I've got, not only this year but since I joined the team as well.
"I'm just going to try to enjoy it all the way and then enjoy the rest of the season as well because we've still got a few races to go. We still want to finish on a high, and then, obviously, this new point where to start again and just build on and improve."
Just moments earlier, on the podium, he had been held aloft by race-winner Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
"It happened in Canada as well this year, earlier in the year, but obviously this is special," said the Italian. "I will definitely frame the picture and put it in my house because it's just an incredible moment.
"And to see so much respect from two incredible drivers who have done the history of the sport is truly special, a moment that will live and will always be remembered. So definitely I will frame the picture and put it on the wall of my house so I can see it very well whenever I go in."
Asked about the most significant moments of the season, he replied: "It's really hard to pick one. I think the main thing was the consistency we've had during the whole season because even when it was looking a bit rough, we still managed to do a decent result, managed to do some damage limitation. That has been the key, always been there.
"Also, I think enjoying every weekend, enjoying the weekends, facing the weekend and going to the weekend with passion and love for the sport, for what I do, and just trying as well to appreciate every moment.
"This weekend has been very difficult emotionally as well. It hasn't been easy, but I still tried to appreciate today, coming to the track having that feeling that today could have been the day, and also the feeling on the grid. So, yeah, just trying to really enjoy every moment, and that has been the thing of the season for me with the team. Just taking it race by race and enjoying the weekend on and off the track, enjoying the time with the mechanics, with the engineers and with everyone involved, because at the end, I've still got to remember that I'm very lucky to do what I love to do as a profession."
Asked about his most memorable win, he says: "If I had to pick one, I would say my home race. Very, very special one. Then, of course, the first race. You know, the first one is always very, very special, and I think all of them have been very special and very unique in their own ways.
"I think I rate Spa as being a very special one because Spa was probably last year my toughest moment in my career, and coming to this year and winning at a track where I was probably at my lowest, that was very special. So, I think all of them have been very special, and hopefully a more special one is coming on its way."
Earlier, in the weekend, for the first time ever, the youngster had admitted to feeling some pressure. Asked to explain, he said: "Well, this weekend hasn't been easy because, you know, I kept hearing the same thing over and over again. And, you know, I'm quite straightforward on this: until it's done, it's not done.
"So, I knew that I still wanted to finish the job well, and it's not easy when you keep hearing from many people, guests, fans, congratulations for the championship, knowing myself, I'm very superstitious. And I'm telling you, it's not easy for me, especially being that superstitious. I think it's just because this whole season I've been trying to focus on one race at a time. I very rarely, hardly ever, thought of the bigger picture.
"You know, there have been a couple of races where I thought of the bigger picture. Baku was probably the race where I first thought about the bigger picture, about points. But I always tried to focus on what I had to do and focus on the process. So, to hear this over and over again, it kind of made me realise all of a sudden much more what I could have achieved. I knew already, you know, don't get me wrong. Already after Austin, I knew how close I was, but I still tried to block that thought as much as possible. So, when you hear that over and over again, you suddenly start to realise a bit more, and you kind of relax in a certain way because you suddenly realise how actually close you are and how little you need to do to achieve that. So, that's why I think yesterday in qualifying I didn't have the same intensity. I wasn't as precise driving. I think Austin was completely the opposite. At Austin, I was much more aggressive, much more present in the moment, while in Mexico yesterday in qualifying I was a bit more tense in a way, and also, I wasn't as intense in the way I was driving. So, definitely it hasn't been easy on that side. But now finally we clinched it, and now we can just enjoy the rest of the season."
And what about his teammate, whose absence from post-race media commitments cost Mercedes €5,000.
"Definitely I think he has had bad luck at some point in the season. I think he has had a little bit more than me, being honest. I've also had my moments in Silverstone and Barcelona. Also, after Silverstone, we had to trash our new PU because it had a problem in it, and we had to take an earlier penalty, which was in Monza. Definitely, we've had our bad moments, but still, I think he will definitely come back.
"You know, he's super quick," he continued. "He has shown this season that when he's on it, he's very hard to beat. So it's just about, you know, on my side, keeping focused on myself, keep trying to raise the bar, keep improving, keep developing, because I think it's not going to be only a matter of George at the end of this season, but I think also for next season, Red Bull, especially with Max, Ferrari and McLaren, eventually, we're all going to be up there, and it's going to be a tight fight. So, it's going to be important to be on top of the game, not only against my teammate but against all the others."
"I haven't planned anything at the moment," he replied, when asked about celebrating the title, "but definitely when I go back home, I will take time to organise something big and enjoy the moment.
"Tonight I will be with my family and my friends, and we're going to enjoy it," he added. "And then we're also going to try to enjoy Brazil next week. Of course, it's a very special race coming up for many reasons. But I think, you know, I will enjoy tonight. I'll see what I will do, but definitely when I go back home after Brazil, I will push. And, yeah, then back to Vegas. I wouldn't be in the best state going into Vegas, but I think it's fine, right? You've still got to enjoy all these moments."
Finally, while others are accompanied by their wives, girlfriends and pets, Antonelli clearly treasures having his family close at hand.
"You know, my family made an incredible effort to come just for today because my dad was busy with his rally racing team," he reveals. "He was in Mugello, and then they flew Saturday morning and arrived last night. So, it was a big effort for them to come here, and I'm very happy to be able to share and witness this moment altogether because my family has made, and they still do, an incredible amount of sacrifices for me. And especially my dad, he has come to basically all the races this year, despite being very busy with his own work, his own job. So, you know, that has been crucial, to have such a figure.
"First of all, he was the one keeping me grounded, especially after very high moments, but as well he was the one that was always there when I was facing a difficult situation, or I wasn't feeling the best ahead of a session or ahead of the race. So, yeah, definitely it's been a big part."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Mexico City here.
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