Antonelli Crowned Youngest F1 Champion as Verstappen Wins in Mexico

Kimi Antonelli is the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, a race won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver, aged 20 years and 68 days, sealed the 2026 Drivers’ title with four races still to run, according to Formula1.com and the FIA.

Verstappen took the chequered flag at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2:20:28.772, holding off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 0.799 seconds. Antonelli crossed the line 4.006 seconds behind the winner, more than enough to end the championship fight after he arrived in Mexico needing ninth place or better to be sure of the crown.

How Young Is Antonelli Compared With Past Champions?

Antonelli breaks the record held by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first title for Red Bull in 2010. According to Formula1.com, the Italian is three years and 66 days younger than Vettel was when he was crowned. He is also the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and only the third Italian to win the title after Giuseppe Farina and Ascari.

The result caps a rapid rise. Antonelli is the first graduate of the team’s junior programme to win the championship. Sunday’s podium was the 17th of his career, and the title is Mercedes’ 10th Drivers’ crown, according to the team’s race report. His victory at the United States Grand Prix a week earlier had moved him to the brink.

What Did Antonelli Say After Winning the Title?

An emotional Antonelli thanked his team and his family on the radio and in the post-race interviews. “We did it. And, you know, without them, I wouldn’t be here. Without Mercedes, without my family,” he said, adding that the day was “one that will live forever” and that he was “speechless”.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the achievement “extraordinary”, noting that Antonelli had done it in only his second season. “There were people who questioned whether he was ready for Formula One and whether he deserved to be in a Mercedes,” Wolff said. “We always believed in his talent.” According to the team, Antonelli ran his soft tyres for more than 40 laps in the first stint, lost that advantage when the red flag reset the race, and then passed Leclerc after the restart to return to the podium.

How Did Verstappen Win the Mexico City Grand Prix?

Verstappen’s win, his third of the season, came from fifth on the grid in a chaotic race shaped by penalties, a red flag and a late Safety Car. Hamilton, who started from his first pole position for Ferrari, went side by side with team-mate Charles Leclerc into the first corner. Leclerc emerged in front but was given a five-second penalty for cutting the track during that battle, which he served at his pit stop. Verstappen, who had jumped to second on the opening lap, took the lead when Leclerc served the penalty and held it through the restart and a late Safety Car period.

Hamilton was unhappy with how the stewards handled the incident. Over team radio he complained that “the stewards are basically handing Charles this win”, before the pit stops changed the order. Leclerc eventually finished fourth after holding off Lando Norris’s McLaren in the closing laps. Mercedes’ George Russell, one of the two drivers who could still mathematically stop Antonelli, was handed a 10-second penalty for tipping Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar into a spin and finished sixth.

Why Was the Race Red-Flagged?

The race was stopped after Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily at Turn 1 around lap 45 of 71, when his front-left suspension failed under braking, according to Formula1.com. The Safety Car was upgraded to a red flag because of barrier damage. Bottas got out of the car unaided and was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks.

A late Safety Car followed a collision between McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, who crashed out at Turn 2. Piastri received a 10-second penalty and dropped to 13th. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was given a 30-second penalty for failing to slow under double yellow flags, team-mate Franco Colapinto received 10 seconds for a yellow-flag offence, and Nico Hülkenberg was penalised 10 seconds for a collision with Ollie Bearman. Home favourite Sergio Pérez finished 16th for Cadillac, and both Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso retired.

What Was the Full Top 10?

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 2:20:28.772
• 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.799s
• 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +4.006s
• 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +10.707s
• 5. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +11.778s
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes) – +12.263s
• 7. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls, from the pit lane)
• 8. Gabriel Bortoleto
• 9. Isack Hadjar
• 10. Ryo Hirakawa, on his F1 race debut

Positions include time penalties applied after the finish. The official classification is published on the Formula 1 results page linked below.

What Happens Next in the 2026 Season?

With the Drivers’ title settled, attention turns to the Constructors’ Championship and the battles further down the order. The next round is the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on 6–8 November.

For Antonelli, the remaining four races offer the chance to race as champion for the first time. For Hamilton, second place in Mexico was another sign of progress at Ferrari after a difficult start to his time with the team. And for Verstappen, the win shows Red Bull can still beat the leading cars on the right circuit.

Featured image: Kimi Antonelli celebrating after the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, by Liauzh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. File photo; not taken at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Sources

• Formula1.com — Antonelli crowned youngest ever F1 champion as Verstappen wins eventful Mexico City Grand Prix (1 November 2026).
• FIA — Antonelli crowned F1’s youngest World Champion as Verstappen wins in Mexico City (1 November 2026).
• Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team — Race Report: Kimi Antonelli Becomes Youngest Ever World Champion with Mexico Podium (1 November 2026).
• BBC Sport — Mexico City Grand Prix report (1 November 2026).
• Formula 1 — 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix race result (1 November 2026).