Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20 by finishing third in Mexico City, where Max Verstappen won a chaotic race by 0.799 seconds from Lewis Hamilton after a Ferrari clash, a red flag and a late safety car.
Mexico City, Mexico: Kimi Antonelli needed to finish ninth or better. He finished third, with the championship settled four rounds early, on an afternoon when the race itself belonged to someone else. Max Verstappen started fifth, won by 0.799 seconds and collected his third victory of 2026 in a race that held a Ferrari collision, a crash that stopped the grand prix and a late restart.
Ferrari fight hands Verstappen the opening
Hamilton led from pole, but Charles Leclerc attacked his Ferrari team-mate into Turn 1 and again at Turn 4, and the pair ran side by side before both drove off the track. Leclerc went across the grass and came out in front, and Hamilton’s exit from Turn 5 was compromised. Verstappen, who had started fifth, slipped through into second. Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, but stewards did not add a further ten seconds, and Hamilton complained over the radio about the decision.
There was more trouble behind. George Russell, who had started on the front row but lost ground, tapped Isack Hadjar into a spin at Turn 6 and took a ten-second penalty. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso both stopped early, bringing out a virtual safety car.
Pit stops, a red flag and a restart
The race turned at the stops. Leclerc and Verstappen pitted together around lap 27, Leclerc served his penalty in the pit lane, and Verstappen came out in the lead. He later said Red Bull “really gave me the right strategy to pit together with Charles”. Hamilton stayed in his gearbox for the rest of the afternoon.
Valtteri Bottas then crashed heavily at Turn 1 after a front-left suspension failure, and the safety car was upgraded to a red flag. Bottas was taken for precautionary checks. At the restart Verstappen led from Leclerc and Hamilton, with Antonelli fourth, and Hamilton and Verstappen touched wheels at Turn 1 without further action. Antonelli passed Leclerc to move onto the podium. Arvid Lindblad then crashed after contact with Oscar Piastri, and Verstappen held on through the final laps after the safety car came in.
A record for Antonelli
Antonelli started fourth, needed only a top-nine finish and took third. At 20 years and 68 days he is the youngest champion in the sport’s history, ahead of Sebastian Vettel’s mark of 23 years and 134 days from 2010. He is also the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. The Mercedes driver has won nine of the 19 races so far this season, most recently in Austin, and arrived in Mexico 123 points clear of Russell, needing only a top-nine finish, as the title scenarios showed.
Hamilton’s second place came after a weekend that began with his first pole for Ferrari. Leclerc finished fourth with flat-spotted front tyres, ahead of Lando Norris. The championship moves next to the São Paulo Grand Prix on 6–8 November.
Mexico City Grand Prix result: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2:20:28.772; 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.799s; 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +4.006s; 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +10.707s; 5. Lando Norris (McLaren) +11.778s; 6. George Russell (Mercedes); 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren); 8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine); 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls); 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
