Verstappen Beats Hamilton in Mexico City as Antonelli Takes F1 Title

Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton by 0.799 seconds to win a chaotic Mexico City Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli’s third-place finish clinched the 2026 world championship. At 20 years and 68 days old, Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest champion. The race featured two stoppages, a disputed first-lap incident and a late sprint to the finish.

• Verstappen’s 74th career win, sixth in Mexico City and third of 2026.
• Antonelli: 380 points; Verstappen: 261; four races and 100 points remained.
• Verstappen beat Hamilton by 0.799 seconds; Antonelli finished 4.006 seconds behind the winner.
• The race ran 71 laps and included two red flags or safety-car interruptions.

Hamilton said he had the pace to win and argued Verstappen should have returned the position after running off track at Turn 1, citing a similar penalty he received the previous year. Verstappen credited a strong opening lap, strategy and Charles Leclerc’s five-second penalty, while acknowledging he was under pressure late.

• Antonelli has clinched the drivers’ title with four rounds remaining.
• Verstappen took the win after passing the Ferraris through the race’s starts and pit stops, then defending from Hamilton in the closing laps.
• Hamilton finished second; Antonelli was third, ahead of Leclerc and Lando Norris.
• Stewards were set to review the collision between Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri.

The São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos is scheduled for November 8. Verstappen will aim for back-to-back wins, while Antonelli will race as world champion for the first time.

Verstappen won a high-pressure duel, but Antonelli’s title is the defining result: Mercedes’ 20-year-old star has secured the championship with four races still to go.