Overview
- Kimi Antonelli clinched the 2026 drivers' championship by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, becoming the youngest-ever F1 world champion at 20 years and 68 days.
- The race was chaotic: an opening-lap wheel-to-wheel battle between Ferrari team‑mates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc led to a five-second penalty for Leclerc, a heavy suspension failure for Valtteri Bottas caused a red flag and the race was restarted.
- Max Verstappen won the Grand Prix after holding off Hamilton in the restarted sprint, with post-race stewarding and time penalties reshaping finishing positions and the points order.
- Antonelli’s result widened Mercedes’ lead in the constructors' standings and moved Verstappen into second in the drivers' table, leaving Hamilton and Verstappen to contest runner-up positions over the final four rounds.
- Antonelli’s title crowns a rapid rise through Mercedes’ junior programme, a season of nine wins and 16 podiums, and marks the first Italian drivers' championship since 1953 while prompting internal review at Ferrari over the opening-lap clash.