SportyTV | Antonelli crowned F1 world champion as Verstappen wins in Mexico

Kimi Antonelli was crowned the Formula One world champion after finishing third in a chaotic Mexico City Grand Prix that was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen on Sunday.

Antonelli knew a ninth-place finish would be enough to win the Drivers' Championship, and he managed to finish in the podium places alongside Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver drove a composed race from start to finish amid the chaos around him, with a late red flag for an incident involving Valtteri Bottas setting up a thrilling finish.

Antonelli had a front-row seat to Hamilton's pursuit of Verstappen in the closing stages, but the Dutchman was able to hold on and claim his third race win of the season.

Charles Leclerc, who was involved in an early incident with team-mate Hamilton, survived some late pressure from the McLaren of Lando Norris to take fourth.

George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10, but it was Antonelli's day at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

ANDREA. KIMI. ANTONELLI. CHAMPION OF THE WORLD https://t.co/IVyUaeUXeH
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 1, 2026

The race began with incidents across the field, most notably between Hamilton and Leclerc, with the latter's aggression on the opening lap forcing both drivers off the track.

Isack Hadjar also spun out and dropped 15 places, but his Red Bull team-mate benefited from Hamilton and Leclerc's squabble and moved up into second.

Antonelli kept himself out of trouble and was running steady in fourth before moving into the lead after Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton opted to pit for fresher tyres.

But a lap after Antonelli made his first pit stop, Bottas crashed when his front suspension failed under braking, leading initially to a safety car before the race was stopped as repairs to the barriers got underway.

At the restart, Leclerc locked up and saw Antonelli pass him and into the podium places, while there was also contact between Verstappen and Hamilton in the battle for first.

There was another safety car with 12 laps to go when Arvid Lindblad crashed his Racing Bulls after a collision with Piastri, but once the action resumed, Antonelli kept clear of Verstappen and Hamilton and crossed the line to make F1 history.

Antonelli writes his name in the history books

On a day when the pressure was resting on his shoulders, Antonelli delivered the drive of a seasoned veteran to become F1's youngest-ever world champion. Aged 20 years and 68 days, he smashed Sebastian Vettel's previous record of 23 years and 134 days in 2010.

He is also the first Italian to win the Drivers' Championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953 when he was driving for Ferrari, and Antonelli could not hide his emotions on the radio, saying to race engineer Peter Bonnington: "Thank you so much. We did it. We did it."

Antonelli is also now only the fifth driver to record 10 or more wins in a single F1 season, joining the likes of Hamilton (six times), Verstappen (three), Michael Schumacher and Vettel (two each).

HISTORY MADE https://t.co/zLB5B6K98C
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 1, 2026

It seemed fitting that Antonelli would be crowned the world champion alongside two drivers who have been there and done it before, in Hamilton and Verstappen, with the pair having won 11 drivers' championships between them.

But it was Verstappen who took the victory, which was his sixth at the Mexico City Grand Prix, at least four more than any other driver (two each for Jim Clark, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Hamilton).

TOP 10

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Lando Norris (McLaren)

6. George Russell (Mercedes)

7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS