Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the youngest-ever F1 World Champion. Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, marking his third win of the season.
Verstappen executed an opportunistic move on the opening lap, capitalising on a Ferrari squabble to take the lead. He maintained this advantage throughout the 71-lap race, driving a commanding performance from a lower grid slot.
Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole position, finished second. This pole was his maiden for Ferrari, highlighting the team’s qualifying pace.
Antonelli finished third, a result sufficient to clinch the championship. His race was a calculated effort, demonstrating a measured approach while seizing a late-race opportunity for the podium.
Charles Leclerc received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after an aggressive opening lap move on Hamilton. This incident compromised Hamilton against Verstappen.
Leclerc’s late-race loss of third position to Antonelli meant Ferrari missed a potential double podium finish. His move on Hamilton was described as ‘ambition ahead of adhesion’.
George Russell’s race was compromised by an opening lap incident with Isack Hadjar, resulting in a 10-second penalty. This ended his hopes of a top-three finish and reflected a season where he relinquished the top spot to Antonelli.
Hadjar recovered to score points despite spinning to 19th after contact with Russell. He benefited from three post-race penalties applied to other drivers.
Lando Norris finished fifth, having been impacted by a red flag after Valtteri Bottas’s suspension failure. The red flag negated Norris’s tyre advantage from a long first stint.
Oscar Piastri initially finished seventh but was demoted to 13th after a post-race penalty for an incident with Arvid Lindblad. Piastri had navigated the opening lap chaos to enter the points.
Liam Lawson, starting from the pit lane due to a technical gremlin in qualifying and a grid drop from a practice clash with Verstappen, mounted a recovery drive. He finished in the points, showcasing the performance of his new RBPT-Ford power unit.
Lindblad retired from the race on lap 59 after contact with Piastri sent him into the barriers at Turn 1. He had been running seventh mid-race.
Gabriel Bortoleto ended an eight-race pointless streak, classified eighth after post-race penalties for Piastri, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto. He had crossed the line in 11th.
Ayumu Hirakawa made his F1 debut for Haas after Esteban Ocon’s unceremonious ousting following FP2. Starting 18th, Hirakawa finished 13th, later promoted to 10th for his maiden F1 points.
Oliver Bearman crashed out of the race after an incident with Nico Hulkenberg. Bearman had shown strong pace and was in contention for points.
Hulkenberg took responsibility for his incident with Bearman, which compounded his struggles after squandering a top-10 starting position.
Alexander Albon finished outside the top 10 for the 13th consecutive race. Carlos Sainz, on a one-stop strategy, was classified 12th after penalties elsewhere.
Alpine drivers Colapinto and Gasly both received post-race penalties. Colapinto was penalised for a yellow flag infringement, while Gasly was demoted for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags.
Sergio Pérez celebrated his 300th Grand Prix start with a steady result for Cadillac. Cadillac has faced reliability challenges throughout their maiden 2026 F1 campaign.
Valtteri Bottas retired after a suspension failure, a recurring reliability issue for Cadillac in 2026. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also retired due to power unit issues, capping a double DNF for Aston Martin.
The 2026 season has seen Cadillac struggle with consistent reliability, a factor evident in Bottas’s retirement.
Alonso’s retirement was due to Honda engine gremlins, which had also affected him in qualifying.
