Antonelli Is Formula 1's Youngest World Champion at 20 as Verstappen Wins a Red-Flagged Mexico City Grand Prix
Third place behind Verstappen and Hamilton was more than enough. Bottas's 200 mph crash, a late safety car and a stack of penalties shaped the race, but not the result that mattered.
Sunday, November 1, 2026/3 min read
Kimi Antonelli crossed the line third at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday and became, at 20, the youngest world champion in the history of Formula 1. Max Verstappen won the race from fifth on the grid, holding off Lewis Hamilton by 0.799s after a late safety car, and Formula1.com reported that Antonelli finished four seconds further back with the title he had needed only ninth place to clinch.
"We did it," he said afterwards, crediting Mercedes and his family. The two men ahead of him lifted him onto their shoulders on the podium. He is the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
How did the Mexico City Grand Prix unfold?
Hamilton's first Ferrari pole lasted one corner. Charles Leclerc went side by side with his team-mate into Turn 1, ran across the grass and emerged in front; Hamilton lost more ground at Turn 5 and Verstappen jumped him. George Russell tapped Isack Hadjar into a spin at Turn 6 and collected a ten-second penalty. The stewards gave Leclerc five seconds for the opening-lap incident, Verstappen took the lead, and a virtual safety car on lap 7 covered Lance Stroll's retirement.
Verstappen ran a long opening stint on mediums, and the pit stops shuffled Antonelli into the lead once Hamilton stopped. He was still there, with Verstappen closing, when Valtteri Bottas suffered a front-left suspension failure and crashed heavily at Turn 1. The Cadillac driver climbed out unaided and went to the medical centre for checks; the barrier damage turned a safety car into a red flag on lap 46.
At the restart Verstappen led from Leclerc with Hamilton third and Antonelli fourth, and Hamilton and Verstappen touched at Turn 1. A second safety car followed a collision between Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad that ended Lindblad's race. Verstappen got the final restart right and held Hamilton to the flag for his third win of the season. Hamilton, over the radio, complained that the stewards were basically handing Leclerc the win with the penalty call; the final order said otherwise.
What was the final result and who was penalised?
RaceFans' classification has Verstappen, Hamilton, Antonelli, Leclerc and Lando Norris in the top five, then Russell sixth, Liam Lawson seventh from the pit lane after his qualifying disqualification, Gabriel Bortoleto eighth, Hadjar ninth and Ryo Hirakawa tenth on his Formula 1 debut for Haas. Piastri was given ten seconds for the Lindblad collision and dropped to 13th. Nico Hulkenberg took ten seconds for contact with Ollie Bearman, Franco Colapinto ten for failing to slow under yellows and Pierre Gasly 30 for the same offence under double yellows. Bearman, Bottas, Stroll and Fernando Alonso also failed to finish.
Where do the championships stand with four races left?
Antonelli has 380 points to Verstappen's 261 and Hamilton's 259, with Russell on 250 and Leclerc on 245, according to RaceFans. A hundred points remain, so the title is beyond reach and the fight is now for second. Mercedes lead the constructors' championship on 630 to Ferrari's 504, with 172 still available, and could seal it in Brazil.
Antonelli qualified only fifth on Saturday after a viral illness and started fourth, which we set out in our qualifying report. He led the race on merit before the red flag and finished where he needed to. Mercedes gambled on him at 11 and again when they replaced Hamilton with him for 2026; both bets have now paid out. The Sao Paulo Grand Prix follows next weekend, 6 to 8 November, and for the first time since March it will be a race that cannot change who the champion is.
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