Formula 1 2026 Mexican Grand Prix Review

Antonelli Crowned Youngest Ever F1 Champion 

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 World Champion in history at the Mexican Grand Prix, finishing third to secure the 2026 title with four rounds still remaining. The 20-year-old Italian, who needed only to finish ninth to claim the crown, delivered a composed drive at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to write his name into the record books.

Max Verstappen won the race – his third victory of the season – holding off Lewis Hamilton by just 0.799 seconds after a dramatic afternoon that featured a mid-race red flag, multiple penalties, and a tense late Safety Car. Charles Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Lando Norris, while George Russell recovered to sixth.

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Grand Prix Race – Antonelli Secures Title as Verstappen Masters Mexico Chaos

Pre-Race Conditions

Lewis Hamilton started from pole position – his first with Ferrari and the 105th of his career – after edging George Russell by just 0.009 seconds in qualifying. Charles Leclerc lined up third, with Max Verstappen fourth and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth.

Liam Lawson was disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement and started from the pit lane, while Ryo Hirakawa replaced Esteban Ocon at Haas for the remainder of the weekend.

Antonelli entered the race needing only to finish ninth to claim the title, regardless of where Hamilton or Russell finished.

Start: Ferrari Fireworks as Verstappen Pounces

When the lights went out, Hamilton held his pole advantage into the first corner, but Leclerc immediately piled on the pressure , diving to the outside as the pair ran side-by-side. The Ferrari teammates went off track and just avoided contact, with Leclerc crossing the grass to take the lead while Hamilton rejoined with a compromised exit.

Verstappen capitalised , jumping Hamilton on the exit and into the next corner. Behind them, Russell tapped Hadjar into a spin at Turn 6, dropping the Red Bull driver down the order.

Leclerc was immediately placed under investigation, while Russell’s incident with Hadjar was also noted. Norris, who had lost positions on the opening lap to Colapinto and Lindblad, worked his way back to sixth.

Penalties and Strategy

By Lap 12, Leclerc had pulled out a 3.2-second gap to Verstappen, but the Monegasque was handed a 5-second penalty for his opening lap incident with Hamilton. Russell received a 10-second penalty for his collision with Hadjar.

Unlike the rest of the leading runners on soft tyres, Verstappen had opted for mediums, allowing a longer opening stint. The Dutchman maintained a consistent two-second gap to Hamilton, with Antonelli a similar margin behind.

Pit Stop Phase

Piastri became the first of the leading runners to pit at the end of Lap 26, switching from soft to medium. Leclerc and Verstappen both pitted the next lap, with the Red Bull driver rejoining ahead as Leclerc served his penalty.

Hamilton pitted the following lap for mediums, handing the lead to Antonelli. He rejoined behind Verstappen and Leclerc, with Russell and Norris now second and third but yet to stop.

The Red Flag

With 30 laps remaining, Verstappen had closed to within 9.4 seconds of Antonelli. But on Lap 42, Valtteri Bottas suffered a heavy crash at Turn 1 – his front left suspension failing under braking – bringing out the Safety Car.

The incident was upgraded to a red flag due to barrier damage, with Bottas thankfully extracting himself from the car unaided and taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks.

Verstappen lined up for the standing restart at the head of the field from Leclerc, with Hamilton reinstated in third ahead of Antonelli. Norris, Russell, Piastri, Lindblad, Colapinto, and Gasly completed the top 10, all on soft tyres.

Restart and Final Drama

As the red lights went out for the second time, Hamilton immediately jumped ahead of Leclerc and challenged Verstappen into Turn 1, running out of room and slotting back into second after minor contact.

Antonelli dived inside Leclerc to take fourth, while Bearman retired after a collision with Hulkenberg (who received a 10-second penalty). A late Safety Car was deployed when Piastri and Lindblad collided , sending the Racing Bulls rookie into the wall. Piastri later received a 10-second penalty.

Verstappen Holds On

Verstappen nailed the restart with eight laps remaining, and despite Hamilton looming large, held on to win by 0.799 seconds. Antonelli completed the podium just four seconds adrift – a result that secured his maiden World Championship.

Grand Prix Race Full Classification

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Points
1	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	2:20:28.772	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	71	+0.799s	18
3	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	71	+4.006s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	71	+10.707s	12
5	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	71	+11.778s	10
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	71	+12.263s	8
7	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	71	+20.899s	6
8	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	71	+22.041s	4
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	71	+22.503s	2
10	50	Ryo Hirakawa	Haas F1 Team	71	+25.373s	1
11	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	71	+27.562s	0
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	71	+28.638s	0
13	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	71	+29.475s¹	0
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	71	+29.977s²	0
15	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	71	+30.204s³	0
16	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	71	+30.695s	0
17	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	71	+51.483s⁴	0
NC	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	58	DNF (Collision)	0
NC	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	47	DNF (Collision)	0
NC	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	42	DNF (Crash)	0
NC	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	5	DNF	0
NC	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	5	DNF	0

¹ Piastri received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Lindblad.
² Hulkenberg received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Bearman.
³ Colapinto received a 10-second penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags.
⁴ Gasly received a 30-second penalty (converted from a drive-through) for failing to slow under double yellows.

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Grand Prix Qualifying – Hamilton Clinches First Ferrari Pole

Lewis Hamilton ended a three-year pole position drought with a spectacular final effort of 1:16.514 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, beating George Russell by just 0.009 seconds. The Briton claimed the 105th pole of his career – his first with Ferrari.

Q1 – Hamilton Sets the Pace as Alonso Suffers Heartbreak

Ferrari had looked the strongest team during Friday’s running, but after McLaren’s strong FP3 showing, the battle for pole looked wide open. The session was disrupted early when Fernando Alonso was instructed to stop his Aston Martin on track due to a suspected water pressure issue, bringing out a red flag.

Only half the grid had completed their first flying lap when the session resumed, with Hamilton topping the times at 1:18.249 ahead of Piastri. Hadjar delivered an eye-catching lap to surge into second, just 0.044s off Hamilton.

Knocked out: Albon, Alonso, Hirakawa, Stroll, Perez, Bottas

Q2 – Verstappen Quickest but Piastri Suffers Shock Exit

Verstappen set the pace with 1:16.876 , ahead of Leclerc. Lindblad impressed with P2 after earlier concerns about smoke in the cockpit were resolved.

The major shock came with Oscar Piastri’s elimination in P13. The McLaren driver reported “no rear grip” and failed to improve on his final lap, leaving him stranded in the drop zone.

Knocked out: Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Piastri, Bortoleto, Bearman, Sainz

Q3 – Hamilton Charges to Maiden Ferrari Pole

In the final shootout, Ferrari got straight to business with Hamilton setting a 1:17.069 before Leclerc went four-tenths clear to take provisional pole. But as the final runs unfolded, Russell leapt into P1 with a superb lap, only for Hamilton to eke out a tiny margin of 0.009s to demote his former teammate.

Verstappen locked up when it mattered and ended fourth behind Leclerc. “I hope you’re proud of yourselves too,” Hamilton told his team in an emotional radio message. “You’ve got to keep pushing. We’re on the right track but… woo! Such a good feeling.”

Grand Prix Qualifying Top 10 Classification

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:18.249	1:17.450	1:16.514
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:18.610	1:17.361	1:16.523
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:18.281	1:17.252	1:16.633
4	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:18.410	1:16.876	1:16.692
5	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:18.397	1:17.689	1:16.707
6	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:18.456	1:17.551	1:16.834
7	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	1:18.293	1:17.755	1:17.069
8	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:18.591	1:17.698	1:17.140
9	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:18.739	1:17.523	1:17.295
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:18.710	1:17.776	1:17.523

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Key Takeaways from the Mexico City Grand Prix Weekend

1. Antonelli Makes History – At 20 years old, the Italian becomes the youngest Formula 1 World Champion. His composure throughout the season, combined with Mercedes’ resurgence, delivered a maiden title with four rounds to spare.

2. Verstappen’s Resurgent Form – Three wins from his last four starts, including victory in Mexico. The Dutchman has rediscovered his best form at the perfect time, albeit too late to challenge for the title.

3. Hamilton’s First Ferrari Pole – A drought-breaking moment for the seven-time World Champion. His emotional radio message after securing pole was a reminder of what it means to him.

4. Ferrari’s Intra-Team Battle – The opening-lap duel between Hamilton and Leclerc set the tone for the race. Leclerc’s 5-second penalty for cutting the track proved costly in his battle with Verstappen.

5. Russell’s Difficult Weekend – A 10-second penalty for the Hadjar collision compounded a frustrating qualifying where he missed pole by 0.009s. Sixth place was scant reward.

6. Piastri’s Struggles Continue – The McLaren driver’s Q2 elimination and late-race collision with Lindblad capped a difficult weekend. The Australian’s season has faded dramatically.

7. Hirakawa’s Impressive Debut – Called up mid-weekend to replace Ocon, the Japanese driver scored a point on his F1 debut with tenth place. A remarkable achievement.

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Championship Standings After Round 19

Drivers’ Championship

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	ITA	Mercedes	367
2	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	255
3	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Ferrari	245
4	George Russell	GBR	Mercedes	234
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	228
6	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	209
7	Oscar Piastri	AUS	McLaren	138
8	Isack Hadjar	FRA	Red Bull Racing	114
9	Liam Lawson	NZL	Racing Bulls	80
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Alpine	50
11	Arvid Lindblad	GBR	Racing Bulls	36
12	Franco Colapinto	ARG	Alpine	27
13	Oliver Bearman	GBR	Haas F1 Team	23
14	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Audi	13
15	Gabriel Bortoleto	BRA	Audi	14
16	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Williams	7
17	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Haas F1 Team	7
18	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Aston Martin	7
19	Alexander Albon	THA	Williams	5
20	Ryo Hirakawa	JPN	Haas F1 Team	1
21	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	Racing Bulls	1
22	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Cadillac	0
23	Sergio Perez	MEX	Cadillac	0
24	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	0

Constructors’ Championship

Pos	Team	Points
1	Mercedes	601
2	Ferrari	473
3	Red Bull Racing	447
4	McLaren	347
5	Racing Bulls	116
6	Alpine	77
7	Haas F1 Team	31
8	Audi	27
9	Williams	12
10	Aston Martin	7
11	Cadillac	0

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Looking Ahead to the São Paulo Grand Prix

Formula 1 moves straight to the Autódromo José Carlos Pace for the São Paulo Grand Prix (November 6-8) . With Antonelli crowned champion, the focus shifts to the battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship – Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, and Leclerc are separated by just 27 points.

For fans inspired to witness the next chapter of this gripping season, explore our premium travel packages for the São Paulo Grand Prix and beyond – and secure your place at the heart of Formula 1’s new era.

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Sources

• Formula1.com – Hamilton clinches first pole with Ferrari in Mexico City GP Qualifying
• Formula1.com – 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying Results
• Formula1.com – Antonelli crowned youngest ever F1 champion as Verstappen wins Mexico City GP
• Formula1.com – 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix Race Results

For official classification and FIA documentation, please refer to the Formula 1 website.