Kimi Antonelli becomes F1's youngest world champion in Mexico

Bottas crash triggers red flag and race delays

Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix following a red-flag period caused by a crash involving Valtteri Bottas. On lap 44, the front-left suspension of the Cadillac driven by Bottas failed on the approach to Turn 1.

The car spun into the barriers, prompting the race to be stopped on lap 46. Bottas emerged without injuries and was released after precautionary medical checks.

Barrier repairs lasted nearly 40 minutes before the race restarted on lap 47 with Verstappen leading a field that included Charles Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Lando Norris, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri. Verstappen had seized the lead from early leader Leclerc during the only pit stop of the race on lap 28.

Verstappen was required to defend his lead twice during the race after the safety car and red-flag deployments.

Controversial start and early race penalties

Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton experienced a perfect start before his Mercedes appeared to lose battery power before the braking zone, allowing Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to pass.

Leclerc received a five-second penalty for passing off the track. Hamilton stated that "the stewards are basically handing Charles this win".

Verstappen, who started in fifth position due to a grid penalty, moved to second after the opening lap. He had started the race on medium tyres, while Leclerc used soft tyres.

When Leclerc and Verstappen made their first pit stops on lap 28, Leclerc served his penalty first, which allowed Verstappen to move ahead. After the red flag, Hamilton passed Leclerc to move into second place before challenging Verstappen at Turn 1.

On the standing restart on lap 47, Hamilton challenged Verstappen around the outside of Turn 1. The two drivers made light contact at the apex, but Verstappen retained the lead.

Antonelli secures podium finish to seal championship

Antonelli started fourth on the grid and, after a standing restart, executed a late‑braking move on Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 to dive inside and take third place, a maneuver that put him on the podium and sealed the title.

Having only needed a top‑nine finish to lock in the championship, he went on to finish third, confirming the championship with a finish well inside the required position.

After his pit stop, Antonelli briefly ran in clear air ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, gaining valuable track position before the final stint.

He was the last of the offset trio to pit, doing so on lap 44, well beyond the halfway point of the 71‑lap race, which allowed him to execute the decisive overtake on Leclerc for third on lap 48.

Drivers react to hectic Mexico City Grand Prix

Max Verstappen said he was "very proud" of the young champion after the race, praising Antonelli’s performance.

Antonelli told reporters he would not be where he was without Mercedes and his family, describing the moment as unforgettable and saying he was speechless.

Lewis Hamilton, after returning to the pit lane following Valtteri Bottas’s incident, warned that the team faced "big problems – big, big problems" and later complained that Ferrari should reverse the positions, claiming Leclerc benefited from clean air.

Hamilton also said the stewards were "basically handing Charles this win" and blamed the first‑lap incident for losing the win, calling for serious talks behind the scenes.

Verstappen described the race as very hectic, noting the first start already set the tone and that a penalty to Charles helped put them into the lead, adding he was sweating at the end to keep Hamilton behind.

Hamilton later said he was pushed off by his own teammate and criticised Leclerc’s five‑second penalty as soft, arguing the driver had clean air and did not have to manage like the rest.

Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, said the team needed one of the "magic Mexico stints" to succeed.

Antonelli joins elite list of Italian champions

Antonelli is the 36th driver to win a Formula 1 world championship. He achieved this title in his second season of Formula 1 competition.

This victory makes him the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The result marks the first drivers’ championship for Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton won his seventh title in 2020. Reports noted the quality of Antonelli’s adaptation and performance throughout the season.

Full classification and race retirements

Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix, marking his third win of the 2026 season and the 74th of his career. Lewis Hamilton finished second after he could not pass Verstappen following the lap 65 restart.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth despite suffering a tyre flat-spot from a major lock-up at the restart. Lando Norris placed fifth after he attempted to pass Leclerc through the chicanes.

Oscar Piastri finished seventh after climbing from 13th on the grid.

Franco Colapinto finished eighth for Alpine, while Liam Lawson finished ninth after battling from the pit lane. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman retired after a collision at Turn 4 on the restart.

Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also failed to finish the race. Stroll and Alonso retired after seven laps due to problems with their Honda power-units.

The report noted that Cadillac is still fundamentally malfunctioning.