F1 records: who held the youngest GP leader and fastest lap records before Kimi Antonelli?. The Youngest Drivers to Lead a GP or Set Fastest Lap Before Antonelli.

The last Japanese Grand Prix will go down in history for two different reasons, both of which, in a way, put Max Verstappen in the spotlight: on the one hand, the Dutchman delivered a masterful performance at Suzuka, but on the other hand, the Red Bull driver no longer holds the top spot in two specific records. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, making his Formula 1 debut this year, has surpassed the four-time world champion in the special rankings for the youngest drivers to have led at least one lap in a race and the youngest to have set the fastest lap in a GP. In both cases, Max Verstappen’s records seemed unreachable, almost unbeatable, yet the driver from Bologna managed to write a new chapter in history.

As for the first record, Kimi Antonelli broke it by just three days. Max Verstappen had led and won the 2016 Spanish GP (and remains the youngest ever to win a race) at the age of 18 years, 7 months and 15 days, while Antonelli did so at 18 years, 7 months and 12 days. Before these two, the record belonged to another four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, who led the race in Japan with Toro Rosso at just over 20 years of age.

Top 5 youngest drivers to lead a GP

Top 5 youngest drivers to set a fastest lap

The age gap between Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen is wider when it comes to setting the fastest lap in a race. The Dutchman recorded the best time also in 2016, but during the Brazilian GP, at a little over 19 years old. At the time, he had surpassed Nico Rosberg for third place in the all-time ranking, until Lando Norris arrived in 2020—also at 20 years old, but a month younger than the 2016 world champion.