F1 in Mexico City: Verstappen wins, Antonelli clinches the world title
· BehindLines newsroom
The Mexico City Grand Prix, held on Sunday 1 November 2026 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, produced two outcomes: a win for Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and the world championship for Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who secured the Formula 1 title with a third-place finish. According to Eurosport, Verstappen crossed the line after 71 laps in 2 h 20 min 28.772 s, 0.799 s ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari). Antonelli completed the podium, 4.006 s behind the winner.
The top of the classification
According to the results published by Dicodusport, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) finished fourth, ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) and Ryo Hirakawa (Haas). According to Horizon F1, Hirakawa scored his first Formula 1 point on this occasion. The same site reports that Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly received time penalties after the finish: Piastri dropped to thirteenth, Colapinto to fifteenth and Gasly to seventeenth, leaving Alpine without a point.
A race full of twists
Lewis Hamilton took pole position, his first with Ferrari according to Dicodusport, ahead of Russell by nine thousandths of a second. Verstappen started fifth after a grid penalty, according to Horizon F1. Leclerc took the lead in the opening corners but was handed a five-second penalty for passing Hamilton off the track without giving the place back.
Verstappen then used the pit strategies to move into the lead. Still according to Horizon F1, an off-track excursion by Valtteri Bottas brought out a red flag on lap 46; the stoppage allowed drivers to change tyres without losing the time of a normal pit stop, and Hamilton passed Leclerc at the restart to take second. Leclerc then lost ground because of a flat spot on a tyre. Around lap 60 a safety car, triggered by contact between Piastri and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), revived the suspense. Hamilton chased Verstappen to the flag but could not get past, finishing 0.799 s behind.
Antonelli's title
Kimi Antonelli becomes world champion at 20 years and 68 days, which, according to Eurosport, makes him the youngest champion in the sport's history. Horizon F1 specifies that he arrived in Mexico with 365 points and that a ninth-place finish would have been enough to secure the title; with his podium he now has 380, with four Grands Prix still to run.
What to take away
All three sources present Verstappen's win as the result of a race that stayed open until the end rather than one of outright domination. For Ferrari the weekend leaves mixed feelings: a pole and a podium, but a missed victory and, according to Horizon F1, a question about how the team manages the rivalry between its two drivers, which the site does not present as the only explanation. According to Horizon F1, four Grands Prix remain on the season's schedule.