Patryk Stachowiak
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Max Verstappen withstood a furious late charge from Lewis Hamilton to win the Mexico City Grand Prix, but the day belonged to Kimi Antonelli, who became Formula 1’s youngest world champion without even needing to win the race.
With neither Hamilton nor George Russell crossing the line first, the title was mathematically sealed for Antonelli before the chequered flag even fell. The Mercedes driver still managed to drag his car onto the podium, finishing third behind Verstappen and Hamilton in a race defined by chaos, a red flag, and a terrifying crash.
The Grand Prix ran long at altitude, interrupted by a 40-minute stoppage after Valtteri Bottas suffered a heavy crash mid-race. Charles Leclerc, who tangled with Hamilton on the opening lap, recovered to finish fourth, with Lando Norris rounding out the top five.
| # | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.799 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +4.006 |
Hamilton and Leclerc Clash on Opening Lap
Every camera focused on Antonelli at the start, given the stakes for the Mercedes driver. Almost the entire top ten committed to soft tyres, the exception being Verstappen, who gambled on mediums.
Hamilton made a strong launch from pole and led into Turn 1, with Leclerc tucking in behind him. The two Ferraris fought into Turn 4, where Leclerc attempted a move around the outside. Both cars ran wide. Leclerc cut Turn 5 entirely and emerged in the lead, while Hamilton rejoined correctly but slipped to third behind Verstappen.
Further back, Isack Hadjar was spun at Turn 6 by Russell. Stewards investigated both Leclerc and Russell, issuing a five-second penalty to the Ferrari driver and a ten-second penalty to Russell. Hamilton was furious at what he viewed as lenient punishment.
The race settled after the opening-lap drama, though both Aston Martins retired by lap seven. Following another car proved difficult all afternoon due to overheating concerns.
Oscar Piastri pitted first among the leaders on lap 26, opening a window for the front-runners. Leclerc and Verstappen stopped a lap later, with Leclerc serving his penalty and dropping behind the Red Bull. Leclerc switched to mediums while Verstappen moved onto softs. Hamilton boxed the following lap, rejoining behind his teammate. Russell pitted on lap 33 and served his penalty, losing a position to Norris, who stopped six laps later.
Antonelli was the last of the leaders to pit, briefly holding the race lead before slotting back to fourth after his lap 43 stop. Had he delayed his stop by a single lap, he would have inherited the actual lead.
That opportunity vanished moments later when Cadillac’s Bottas suffered a front-left suspension failure at Turn 1 and crashed hard into the barrier. A Safety Car was deployed initially, then escalated to a full red flag on lap 45 to allow for barrier repairs.
Onboard with Valtteri Bottas for a sizeable crash at Turn 1. He is out of the car and ok. #F1 #MexicoGP — Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2026
Verstappen Survives Hamilton Pressure as Antonelli Seals the Crown
The Grand Prix resumed 40 minutes later with a standing start. Verstappen held pole, ahead of Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli and Norris. Every car on the grid ran softs for the restart.
Verstappen got away cleanly and led into Turn 1, but Hamilton stayed glued to his rear wing after an excellent launch of his own.
Verstappen kept his advantage through the opening corners, with Hamilton and Leclerc trailing, though Leclerc lost a spot to Antonelli the following lap. Oliver Bearman retired after contact from Nico Hulkenberg, who was penalized for the incident.
Stewards briefly investigated Verstappen on lap 50 for allegedly starting out of position, but no action followed.
Verstappen built a gap of over a second to Hamilton, keeping the Ferrari outside DRS range. That cushion evaporated on lap 59 when a second Safety Car emerged after Arvid Lindblad crashed at Turn 2 following contact with Piastri.
The Safety Car pulled in at the end of lap 62, leaving nine laps remaining at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Attention turned to the restart. Verstappen took the green exiting the stadium section with Hamilton still within striking distance.
Hamilton could never close the gap enough to launch an attack. Verstappen controlled the final laps to take the win, with Hamilton second and Antonelli third, a result that handed the Italian the 2026 drivers’ championship.
Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson (who started from the pit lane), and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.
Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 season as the championship fight heads into its closing rounds.