The Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez featured accidents, penalties and a red flag. A heavy crash involving Valtteri Bottas forced a suspension that significantly altered the fight for the podium places. Antonelli kept his composure through the decisive stages and brought his Mercedes home safely to seal the championship.
Hamilton loses the lead in chaotic opening laps
Lewis Hamilton had secured his first pole position since joining Ferrari on Saturday. George Russell lined up alongside him in the Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen behind. Antonelli started fourth after a difficult qualifying session, with Verstappen having been handed a grid penalty.
The opening lap immediately produced drama. Leclerc challenged Hamilton for the lead and ran off the track, rejoining ahead of his teammate despite gaining an advantage by cutting the corner. The stewards investigated and subsequently handed the Monegasque a five-second penalty.
Antonelli entered the race in a commanding championship position. With a 123-point lead over Russell and a 124-point advantage over Hamilton, a finish inside the top nine would be enough to secure the title. Nevertheless, the Italian still had to navigate a race filled with incidents and defend his position against his rivals.
There were problems further down the field in the opening stages. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retired their Aston Martins after only a handful of laps. The incidents prompted a Virtual Safety Car period, briefly disrupting the rhythm of the race.
Verstappen takes control of the race
While Leclerc initially led, a strategic contest developed behind him between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Different pit-stop timings repeatedly reshuffled the running order. Verstappen worked his way forward from fifth on the grid and gradually put himself in contention for victory.
Hamilton’s race, meanwhile, became increasingly complicated. The seven-time world champion had been hoping to convert pole position into a first Ferrari victory in Mexico, but lost valuable ground following the turbulent start and the subsequent pit-stop strategies. Leclerc also had to account for his time penalty, further restricting Ferrari’s tactical options.
Antonelli focused on remaining within striking distance of the leaders. His Mercedes was not consistently the fastest car on track, but he stayed in contention for a leading finish. The championship was moving closer to being decided even as the battle for the race victory remained wide open.
Bottas crash brings out the red flag
The most serious incident occurred on lap 44. The front-left suspension on Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac appeared to fail at high speed, sending the Finn out of control before the first corner and into the barriers.
The Safety Car was initially deployed. However, the recovery of Bottas’s car and repairs to the damaged barriers required a longer interruption, prompting race control to stop the race with a red flag on lap 46. Bottas was able to leave his car and underwent medical checks.
The stoppage had significant strategic consequences. Antonelli had made his pit stop immediately before the accident, missing the opportunity to benefit from a later tyre change during the interruption.
Hamilton, meanwhile, had taken on fresh tyres during the neutralisation. The subsequent red flag and reorganisation of the field created a different situation for the restart, with tyre strategies once again coming under scrutiny.
Restart puts Antonelli on course for the podium
Once the repairs were completed, the race resumed with a standing start. Verstappen retained the lead, while Hamilton and Antonelli both overtook Leclerc.
Verstappen and Hamilton made contact during the restart, prompting an investigation by race control. No penalty was imposed on the Red Bull driver. Further incidents also attracted the stewards’ attention. Oliver Bearman retired following a collision with Nico Hülkenberg, who received a ten-second penalty.
Antonelli was now running third, putting the world championship firmly within his grasp. The Italian briefly set the fastest laps of the race but could not significantly close the gap to Hamilton. Crucially, he maintained a sufficient advantage over Leclerc.
Another Safety Car period followed on lap 59 when Arvid Lindblad collided with Oscar Piastri during a battle for position and ended up in the barriers. The Racing Bulls driver escaped injury, but his race was over.
The field closed up again, and when the Safety Car returned to the pits after lap 63, Verstappen had to defend his lead against Hamilton once more.
Verstappen holds off Hamilton for victory
Hamilton put the leader under pressure in the closing laps. Verstappen reported braking problems at one stage but avoided making a decisive mistake. The Ferrari gradually closed in, although Hamilton never found an opportunity to make a successful move.
After 71 laps, Verstappen crossed the finish line just 0.799 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Despite starting from pole, the Briton had to settle for second and subsequently expressed disappointment with the way the race had unfolded, particularly some of Ferrari’s strategic decisions.
Behind Antonelli, another close battle developed. Leclerc defended fourth place against Lando Norris despite struggling with worn tyres and significant vibrations. Norris finished fifth, followed by Russell, whose difficult afternoon had also included a penalty.
Piastri completed the race in seventh. Franco Colapinto impressed with eighth place, while Liam Lawson recovered to finish ninth after starting from the pit lane following technical changes to his car.
Antonelli breaks Vettel’s record to become youngest F1 champion
For Antonelli, third place marked the greatest achievement of his career so far. At 20 years and 68 days old, the Mercedes driver is now the youngest Formula 1 world champion of all time, surpassing Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he claimed his first title in 2010.
Antonelli also becomes Italy’s first Formula 1 world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. In just his second season at the highest level of motorsport, he has already established himself among the sport’s champions.
His success is the culmination of an extraordinarily consistent campaign. Before arriving in Mexico, Antonelli had won nine Grands Prix, including the previous race in Austin. Even on weekends when Mercedes did not have the strongest overall package, the Italian continued to collect valuable points.
The emotion of the achievement was evident after the chequered flag. Antonelli thanked Mercedes and his family for their support, admitting that he was still struggling to process what he had accomplished. Sharing the podium with Verstappen and Hamilton made the occasion particularly special for the new champion.
Verstappen was equally generous in his assessment, praising Antonelli’s remarkable season and highlighting how extraordinary his achievement was at such a young age.
Four races remain on the calendar
Although the Drivers’ Championship has been decided, there is still plenty at stake in the remaining rounds. The battle for the Constructors’ Championship continues, as does the fight for the other positions in the drivers’ standings, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all having important points to play for.
The next race is the São Paulo Grand Prix from 6–8 November, followed by Las Vegas (19–21 November), Qatar (27–29 November) and the season finale in Abu Dhabi (4–6 December).
Antonelli will arrive in Brazil as world champion for the first time. Verstappen and Hamilton, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their impressive performances in Mexico.
2026 Mexico City Grand Prix – Race results
P1 – Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing – 2:20:28.772
P2 – Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – +0.799s
P3 – Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – +4.006s
P4 – Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – +10.707s
P5 – Lando Norris – McLaren – +11.778s
P6 – George Russell – Mercedes – +12.263s
P7 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren – +19.475s
P8 – Franco Colapinto – Alpine – +20.204s
P9 – Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls – +20.899s
P10 – Pierre Gasly – Alpine – +21.483s
P11 – Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi – +22.041s
P12 – Isack Hadjar – Red Bull Racing – +22.503s
P13 – Ryo Hirakawa – Haas – +26.373s
P14 – Alexander Albon – Williams – +27.562s
P15 – Carlos Sainz – Williams – +28.638s
P16 – Nico Hülkenberg – Audi – +29.977s
P17 – Sergio Pérez – Cadillac – +30.695s
P18 – Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls – DNF
P19 – Oliver Bearman – Haas – DNF
P20 – Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac – DNF
P21 – Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – DNF
P22 – Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – DNF
