Verstappen wins dramatic Mexico City GP as Antonelli makes F1 history

Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, November 1, but the biggest story of the weekend belonged to Kimi Antonelli, who secured the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with a third-place finish.

The Red Bull driver held off sustained pressure from Lewis Hamilton to win the 71-lap race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez by just 0.799 seconds. Hamilton finished second for Ferrari, with Mercedes’ Antonelli completing the podium, 4.006 seconds behind the winner.

At just 20 years old, Antonelli became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s previous record. The Italian also ended his country’s 73-year wait for a drivers’ title, following Alberto Ascari’s championship success in 1953.

The race began with an intense battle between Ferrari team-mates Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton started from pole position, but Leclerc challenged him into the opening corners. The Monegasque went off the track while attempting to complete the move and was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage.

Verstappen capitalised on the opening-lap battle to move ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc, eventually taking the lead through the pit-stop sequence. Leclerc finished fourth, 10.707 seconds behind Verstappen, after holding off a late challenge from McLaren’s Lando Norris.

The contest was interrupted by a serious incident involving Valtteri Bottas, whose Cadillac suffered a suspension failure before hitting the barriers. The Safety Car was deployed before the race was red-flagged to allow repairs. Bottas was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks but was released without injury.

After a standing restart, Hamilton moved into second place and spent the closing stages attempting to catch Verstappen. A further Safety Car period followed a collision involving Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad, setting up a final opportunity for the Ferrari driver to challenge. Verstappen nevertheless held his position to secure his third victory of the season.

Behind the leading four, Norris finished fifth, ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell in sixth. Liam Lawson took seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. Ryo Hirakawa completed the top ten for Haas.

For Antonelli, the result was enough to settle the championship with races still remaining in the season. Having needed only a ninth-place finish to guarantee the title, he instead delivered a podium performance on one of the most significant afternoons of his young career.

While Verstappen took the chequered flag, Mexico City will be remembered as the weekend Formula 1 crowned its youngest-ever world champion.