Kimi Antonelli became the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history after finishing third in a dramatic Mexico City Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton to take a remarkable sixth victory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

 

The Mercedes driver, aged 20, secured his maiden Drivers' Championship with a podium finish in the 71-lap race, having arrived in Mexico City needing only to finish ninth to guarantee the title, irrespective of the results of his closest challengers, Hamilton and team-mate George Russell.

 

Antonelli started from fourth on the grid and produced a composed drive through an eventful afternoon, which featured a red flag following a heavy accident for Valtteri Bottas and a late Safety Car after Arvid Lindblad crashed out. Despite the interruptions, the Italian kept his composure to finish third and seal the championship, becoming the youngest driver ever to achieve the feat.

 

At the front, Verstappen secured his third victory of the season, with the Red Bull driver surviving sustained pressure from Hamilton in the closing stages to take the chequered flag just 0.799 seconds ahead of the Ferrari.

 

Behind the top three Leclerc held off a late challenge from Lando Norris to take fourth, ahead of the McLaren, while Russell finished sixth. Oscar Piastri was seventh, followed by Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly, who completed the points-paying positions.

 

As the lights went out, polesitter Hamilton made a strong getaway and initially held the advantage into the first corner. Leclerc immediately challenged his Ferrari team-mate, however, and the pair continued to fight through the opening sequence of corners.

 

The Monegasque ran across the grass while attempting to complete the move, emerging ahead of Hamilton but having left the circuit. The resulting loss of momentum allowed Verstappen, who had made an excellent start from fifth, to move past the Ferrari and Hamilton to claim second place.

 

Hamilton was unhappy with the way the battle had unfolded, while Verstappen also questioned why Leclerc had not been instructed to return the position. The Stewards subsequently handed Leclerc a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

 

Behind the leading trio, Russell endured a difficult getaway, dropping from second to sixth. The Mercedes driver then made contact with Isack Hadjar, sending the Red Bull into a spin, and was handed a 10-second time penalty for the incident. Hadjar rejoined towards the rear of the field, leaving Red Bull with work to do to recover points with its second car.

 

Leclerc quickly established a comfortable advantage at the front, building a gap of more than five seconds over Verstappen. The Dutchman was the only driver among the leading group to start on the Medium compound, while those around him had opted for soft tyres.

 

Hamilton followed in third, with the two Mercedes cars and the McLarens running behind. Piastri made particularly strong progress, recovering from 12th on the grid to seventh, while Norris remained in contention towards the front of the field.

 

The first significant strategic developments came on lap 28, when Leclerc and Verstappen made their first pit stops. Leclerc switched from soft to Medium tyres, while Red Bull opted moved Verstappen to Softs.

 

The five-second penalty incurred by Leclerc was added to his pit-stop time, allowing Verstappen to emerge ahead of the Ferrari and take control of the race. Hamilton responded by pitting on the following lap, also switching to the Medium compound, but the sequence of stops left the leading three running behind Antonelli, Russell and Norris, who had yet to make their own stops.

 

With Mercedes having little incentive to take strategic risks while Antonelli remained comfortably on course for the championship, the Italian was able to run in clear air at the front. He eventually made his stop on lap 44, surrendering the lead but retaining a strong position for the closing stages.

 

However, the race was soon interrupted when Bottas suffered a left-front suspension failure approaching Turn 1, sending his Cadillac into the barriers. The incident initially brought out the Safety Car before the race was red-flagged to allow repairs to the barriers.

 

Bottas was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks but was subsequently released without injury. The interruption resulted in a lengthy stoppage of almost 40 minutes, with the field returning to the grid for a standing restart on lap 47.

 

Verstappen led Leclerc, Hamilton and Antonelli away, with the leading drivers all running on soft tyres. Hamilton made an excellent getaway and immediately moved past Leclerc to take second place, setting his sights on Verstappen as the race resumed.

 

The Ferrari locked up into Turn 1, allowing Antonelli to close in. The Mercedes driver wasted little time in making his move, passing Leclerc for third as the field negotiated the opening sector.

 

Hamilton continued to apply pressure to Verstappen, remaining within striking distance of the Red Bull through the final stint. The Dutchman, however, defended his position under repeated pressure and kept the Ferrari behind as the pair approached the closing laps.

 

Leclerc's difficulties continued after the restart, with a flat spot on his tyres making it increasingly difficult to fend off the approaching Norris. The McLaren driver closed in during the final stages, but Leclerc held his nerve to retain fourth place.

 

A further interruption followed when Piastri and Lindblad made contact, sending the Racing Bulls driver into the barriers at Turn 2. The Safety Car was deployed with eight laps remaining, bringing the field back together for one final opportunity to challenge for position.

 

Verstappen again made a clean getaway when racing resumed, with Hamilton unable to find a way past despite remaining close throughout the final laps. The Red Bull driver crossed the line to secure his third victory of the campaign, just under a second ahead of Hamilton.

 

Antonelli followed them home in third, completing the result that confirmed his place in Formula 1 history. Having needed only a ninth-place finish, the Italian delivered considerably more, converting his fourth-place starting position into a podium and a maiden world title.

 

Behind Leclerc and Norris, Russell finished sixth, ahead of Piastri, who recovered from his early starting position to take seventh. Colapinto secured eighth for Alpine, while Lawson delivered a strong recovery drive from the pit lane to finish ninth. Gasly completed the top 10 for Alpine.

 

Gabriel Bortoleto finished just outside the points in 11th for Audi, ahead of Hadjar, who recovered to 12th following his opening-lap incident. Ryo Hirakawa made his Formula 1 debut for Haas after a late call-up, finishing 13th, with Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz taking 14th and 15th respectively.

 

Nico Hülkenberg finished 16th after receiving a 10-second penalty for contact with Oliver Bearman, who retired following suspension damage sustained in the incident. Home favourite Sergio Pérez brought his Cadillac home in 17th.

 

The two Aston Martins endured a particularly short afternoon, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso both retiring after five laps following power unit problems. Bottas and Bearman were also classified as retirements, alongside Lindblad, while Esteban Ocon was withdrawn before the start.

 

For Verstappen, the victory provided a significant reward after a challenging weekend, while Hamilton's second-place finish ensured another Ferrari podium. But the afternoon ultimately belonged to Antonelli, whose third-place finish was enough to secure the 2026 Drivers' Championship and establish a new record as Formula 1's youngest ever World Champion.

 

2026 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix – Race 
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 71 2:20'28.772 
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 71 2:20'29.571 0.799
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 71 2:20'32.778 4.006
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 2:20'39.479 10.707
5 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 71 2:20'40.550 11.778
6 George Russell Mercedes 71 2:20'41.035 12.263
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 71 2:20'48.247 19.475
8 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 71 2:20'48.976 20.204
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 71 2:20'49.671 20.899
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 71 2:20'50.255 21.483
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 71 2:20'50.813 22.041
12 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 71 2:20'51.275 22.503
13 Ryō Hirakawa Haas/Ferrari 71 2:20'54.145 25.373
14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 71 2:20'56.334 27.562
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 71 2:20'57.410 28.638
16 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 71 2:20'58.749 29.977
17 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 71 2:20'59.467 30.695
     Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 58 2:01'05.146 Retirement
     Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 47 1:46'35.258 Retirement
     Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 42 1:00'09.846 Retirement
     Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 5 7'37.297 Retirement
     Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 5 7'41.100 Retirement
     Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 0 - Withdrawn