Antonelli becomes youngest F1 world champion as Verstappen wins in Mexico

AI-generated illustration.

Kimi Antonelli became Formula One’s youngest world champion on Sunday after finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. Max Verstappen won the race, holding off Lewis Hamilton by 0.799 seconds, with the Mercedes driver completing the podium 4.006 seconds behind the winner.

Antonelli secured his first drivers’ title at 20 years and 68 days, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2010. He is the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 and has settled the championship with four rounds remaining, in only his second F1 season.

Verstappen started fifth but benefited from an intense opening-lap battle between Ferrari team-mates Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Leclerc took the lead after leaving the track at Turn 4, earning a five-second penalty, while Verstappen passed polesitter Hamilton to move into second.

The Red Bull driver emerged ahead of Leclerc when the Ferrari served its penalty during the pit-stop sequence. Verstappen then protected his advantage through a disrupted second half of the race.

A heavy crash for Valtteri Bottas, following a suspension failure on his Cadillac, brought out a red flag. At the standing restart Hamilton moved past Leclerc and challenged Verstappen, but the race leader held on. A later collision involving Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad triggered another Safety Car period, creating one more restart for Verstappen to manage.

Antonelli stayed clear of the incidents to finish third, ahead of Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris. George Russell took sixth after serving a ten-second penalty for contact with Isack Hadjar on the opening lap.

Post-race penalties changed the order further down the field. Piastri received ten seconds for his collision with Lindblad, while Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were penalised for yellow-flag infringements. The final classification placed Liam Lawson seventh, Gabriel Bortoleto eighth, Hadjar ninth and Haas debutant Ryo Hirakawa tenth.

Verstappen’s victory was his third of the season and sixth in Mexico City. The championship continues with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on 6–8 November.

Sources

• Formula 1: Antonelli seals world title as Verstappen wins in Mexico (2026-11-01)
• Sky Sports: Antonelli becomes youngest champion after dramatic Mexico race (2026-11-01)
• Formula 1: final Mexico City Grand Prix result and penalties
• FIA: Antonelli crowned world champion as Verstappen wins Mexico City Grand Prix