Max Verstappen claimed his third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Mexico City Grand Prix, holding off Lewis Hamilton in a dramatic race that saw Kimi Antonelli finish third and become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history.
Verstappen delivered a determined performance to win the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, resisting sustained pressure from Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages as Kimi Antonelli secured his maiden Formula 1 World Championship with a podium finish.
The Red Bull driver emerged victorious from a turbulent 71-lap contest featuring an early Ferrari controversy, penalties, a major accident involving Valtteri Bottas, a red flag and a late Safety Car period.
Hamilton finished second for Ferrari after a closely contested battle with Verstappen, while Antonelli completed the podium to become Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion at 20 years, two months and seven days old.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Lando Norris, with George Russell sixth and Oscar Piastri seventh.
Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.
Although Verstappen secured the race victory, the afternoon’s defining achievement belonged to Antonelli, whose result brought the 2026 Drivers’ Championship to a conclusion with several rounds still remaining.
Ferrari’s opening-lap battle sparks controversy
Hamilton started from pole position after claiming his first qualifying pole for Ferrari, the 105th of his Formula 1 career.
The seven-time world champion made a strong getaway, but the long run towards the opening corners immediately brought the leading contenders into close competition.
Hamilton and Leclerc ran alongside one another through the opening sequence before their battle continued towards Turn 4.
Both Ferraris went beyond the track limits, with Leclerc emerging ahead after taking a route outside the circuit boundaries.
Verstappen also capitalised on the situation, moving into second place behind the Monegasque.
Hamilton expressed frustration over the incident, arguing that his team-mate had gained an advantage by leaving the track.
Race control subsequently investigated Leclerc’s manoeuvre.
The Ferrari driver received a five-second time penalty on lap 13, having been judged to have completed an overtake outside the track limits.
The stewards determined that both drivers had approached Turn 4 at excessive speed and that neither would have been able to negotiate the corner while remaining on the circuit.
Although the standard penalty guideline was ten seconds, the sanction was reduced to five because Hamilton had also gone off the track and the incident occurred early on the opening lap.
The decision left Leclerc leading on the road but facing the prospect of losing valuable positions when he served his penalty.
Russell also encountered trouble in the opening stages, receiving a ten-second penalty following contact with Isack Hadjar.
Verstappen gains the advantage through the pit stops
Despite the penalty hanging over him, Leclerc maintained his lead during the opening stint.
The Ferrari driver steadily extended his advantage over Verstappen, at one stage moving more than five seconds clear of the Red Bull.
However, the contrasting tyre strategies began to influence the contest.
Leclerc had started on soft tyres, while Verstappen was among the drivers who had opted for mediums.
As the first stint progressed, the Red Bull driver remained close enough to take advantage of his rival’s penalty.
Both drivers made their opening pit stops on lap 28.
Verstappen emerged ahead after Leclerc served his five-second sanction, handing the Red Bull driver the effective race lead.
The Dutchman switched to soft tyres, while Leclerc continued on mediums.
Hamilton stopped one lap later, with Antonelli and Russell extending their opening stints.
The different strategies briefly placed Antonelli at the front of the race, but the Mercedes driver still had to complete his pit stop.
Meanwhile, Verstappen established himself as the leading contender for victory, with Leclerc attempting to remain within striking distance and Hamilton closing on his Ferrari team-mate.
Bottas crash brings out the red flag
The race changed dramatically on lap 45 when Valtteri Bottas suffered a heavy accident in his Cadillac.
The incident prompted the deployment of the Safety Car, with the Finn’s car coming to rest heavily damaged against the barriers.
Antonelli had made his pit stop just one lap earlier, switching from soft to medium tyres after a lengthy opening stint.
Hamilton and Russell subsequently stopped under the Safety Car, but the situation developed further when officials decided to suspend the race.
A red flag was shown on lap 46 as medical personnel attended the scene and the damaged Cadillac was recovered.
Bottas was subsequently able to leave his car, having earlier been seen moving and giving a thumbs-up.
The precise cause of the accident was not established in the race report.
During the stoppage, race control reviewed the classification and confirmed the order for the restart.
Verstappen would lead from Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli and Norris, followed by Russell.
All the remaining drivers switched to soft tyres for the resumption.
Hamilton attacks as Antonelli moves onto the podium
The race resumed with a standing start on lap 47, giving Hamilton another opportunity to challenge for the leading positions.
Verstappen launched well from the front, but Hamilton immediately attacked Leclerc and moved ahead of his Ferrari team-mate.
Antonelli then passed Leclerc on the following lap to take third place.
That move strengthened the Mercedes driver’s position as he closed in on the championship title.
Hamilton began applying pressure to Verstappen, while Antonelli remained close enough to keep the leading pair within reach.
The Ferrari driver set the fastest lap on lap 51 as he pursued the Red Bull, with Antonelli also demonstrating strong pace.
Verstappen was briefly placed under scrutiny over his starting position at the restart, but the stewards determined that he had not crossed the relevant white line and no penalty was imposed.
The Dutchman therefore retained the lead.
Behind the leading trio, Leclerc faced increasing pressure from Norris while managing vibrations associated with a flat-spotted tyre.
The Ferrari driver remained fourth, with Norris unable to find a way past despite spending much of the closing stages within close range.
Lindblad accident interrupts the final battle
Another Safety Car period followed on lap 59 after contact between Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad.
Piastri attempted a move around the outside of the Racing Bulls driver, with the two cars making contact on the exit of the opening corner.
The incident damaged the left-rear suspension of Lindblad’s car and sent him into the barrier, ending his race.
The Safety Car neutralised the field once again, temporarily interrupting the contest between Verstappen, Hamilton and Antonelli.
Officials indicated that the incident involving Piastri and Lindblad would be investigated after the race.
The race resumed on lap 63, with Verstappen executing another strong restart to maintain his advantage over Hamilton.
Antonelli remained third, while Leclerc continued to defend fourth place from Norris.
As the remaining laps passed, Hamilton stayed within reach of the Red Bull, but Verstappen gave him no clear opportunity to complete a move.
Verstappen holds firm as Antonelli makes history
Hamilton continued his pursuit into the final laps, reducing the gap to Verstappen and maintaining pressure on the race leader.
Antonelli remained securely in third place, gradually establishing a comfortable margin over Leclerc.
On the penultimate lap, Norris drew alongside Leclerc but was unable to complete the pass.
At the front, Verstappen successfully defended his advantage over Hamilton, taking the chequered flag for his third Grand Prix victory of 2026.
Hamilton finished second, having recovered from the opening-lap controversy and made an effective move past Leclerc following the red flag.
But it was Antonelli’s third-place finish that carried the greatest championship significance.
The young Italian had arrived in Mexico requiring just two additional points to secure the Drivers’ Championship.
His podium result comfortably delivered that objective, confirming him as the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion.
At 20 years, two months and seven days old, Antonelli surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s previous record as the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Vettel had been 23 years, four months and 11 days old when he secured his maiden title in 2010.
Antonelli’s success also made him the 36th different driver to win the World Drivers’ Championship.
For Mercedes, the result marked the culmination of an exceptional campaign by its young driver, although the Constructors’ Championship remained a separate contest.
For Verstappen, Mexico delivered another race victory achieved through pace, strategy and determined defending.
For Hamilton, second place represented a strong recovery in a race that had begun with frustration and developed into a sustained challenge for victory.
And for Antonelli, the afternoon marked the achievement of a lifetime.
The 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix will be remembered not only for Verstappen’s victory, but also as the race in which Formula 1 crowned its youngest world champion.
2026 Mexico City Grand Prix – Race Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Diff | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 71 Laps – 1h48m14.710s | 2 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-26 | +0.799 | 3 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W17 | +4.006 | 2 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-26 | +10.707 | 2 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | +11.778 | 2 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes W17 | +12.263 | 3 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | +19.475 | 3 |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes A526 | +20.204 | 2 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | +20.899 | 4 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes A526 | +21.483 | 3 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi F1 R26 | +22.041 | 2 |
| 12 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | +22.503 | 4 |
| 13 | Ryō Hirakawa | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | +25.373 | 5 |
| 14 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW48 | +27.562 | 3 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW48 | +28.638 | 3 |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 R26 | +29.977 | 3 |
| 17 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | +30.695 | 5 |
| 18 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | DNF | 2 |
| 19 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | DNF | 3 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | DNF | 1 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | DNF | 1 |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | DNF | 2 |
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