Mexico City GP: Verstappen Wins, Antonelli Becomes Youngest Champion
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has been crowned the youngest Formula 1 World Champion in history after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The result secured the 2026 title for the 20-year-old.
Max Verstappen won the race, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli, aged 20 years and 68 days, broke the record set by Sebastian Vettel. Vettel was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first championship with Red Bull in 2010.
The 71-lap race took place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Antonelli needed to finish only ninth to win his first F1 title. The finishing positions of Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell made no difference to the outcome.
Antonelli reflected on the achievement: "We did it, and to be honest, I would not be here without them. It was not possible without Mercedes and my family. I am very thankful for this moment. It is something I will always remember. I don't have the words. I am still trying to understand what has happened."
He started the race from fourth and ended it in third. Along the way, the race was disrupted. A heavy accident involving Valtteri Bottas led to a red flag during the race. Later, a collision involving Arvid Lindblad meant the safety car had to be deployed.
Verstappen claimed his third victory of the season, finishing 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. He started fifth on the grid and managed Hamilton's pressure in the closing stages. He also benefited from the competitive situation inside the Ferrari squad.
Charles Leclerc took fourth place while fending off intense pressure from Lando Norris of McLaren. Behind him, George Russell of Mercedes finished fifth, and Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls came sixth after starting from the pit lane.
Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who had to spin after being hit by Russell on the first lap, and Haas rookie Ryo Hirakawa, who was called up in the middle of the weekend for his F1 debut, all finished inside the top 10.
Alexander Albon of Williams was just outside the points, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz.
Several penalties changed the final order. Oscar Piastri received a 10-second penalty for a collision with Lindblad, which dropped him to 13th. Nico Hulkenberg was penalized 10 seconds for contact with Ollie Bearman and finished 14th. Franco Colapinto of Alpine also received a 10-second penalty for failing to adequately reduce speed during yellow flags.
Sergio Perez finished 16th for Cadillac. Pierre Gasly of Alpine was given a 30-second penalty in place of a drive-through for failing to slow down during a double yellow flag, costing his team a chance to score points.
Antonelli now has a 119-point championship lead that no one can overturn. Verstappen has moved up to second in the standings. Russell has climbed to fourth, but he is 130 points behind his teammate.
The F1 paddock now moves straight on to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, scheduled from November 6 to 8.