By Graham Duxbury @TheRealDux

Formula One history was made at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal last weekend when Kimi Antonelli became the first driver ever to win the opening four races of his career consecutively.

The Mercedes driver’s victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve elevated him beyond two former world champions, Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen, who had previously shared the benchmark with three successive first-time wins.

Antonelli’s remarkable streak began earlier this season with victories in China, Japan and Miami before adding Canada to his growing list of triumphs. At just 19 years old, the Italian has rapidly established himself as the leading figure of F1’s new generation, showing maturity and composure beyond his years in the opening phase of the 2026 championship.

His rise to F1 had already marked him out as one of the sport’s most exciting prospects. Antonelli dominated karting before progressing through the junior categories at extraordinary speed. He won the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 championships in 2022, followed by Formula Regional European Championship success in 2023.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff subsequently fast-tracked him through the development ladder, bypassing F3 entirely and promoting him directly into F2 before handing him a F1 race seat.

Wolff’s decision to place Antonelli in the Mercedes works team came after the departure of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to Scuderia Ferrari. Rather than pursuing an established replacement, Wolff chose to invest in Antonelli’s long-term potential, describing the Italian as a generational talent capable of leading Mercedes into a new era.

The Canadian GP victory further justified that faith. Antonelli delivered a composed drive after teammate George Russell retired from the lead with a power-unit issue, allowing the Italian youngster to secure a landmark fourth consecutive win and a place in F1 history.