The key facts
- Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton second and Kimi Antonelli third
- Antonelli clinched the 2026 world championship early, breaking Sebastian Vettel's age record
- Mercedes leads the Constructors' Championship with 630 points, while Ferrari on 504 remains the only team capable of catching the leader
Title clinched early, victory goes to Verstappen
The Mexican Grand Prix, the 19th round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, ended with a victory for Red Bull's Max Verstappen: he finished 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Third was 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, 4.006 seconds behind the winner — and it was precisely this result that brought him the championship title. This was reported by Anadolu and Life.ru.
How Antonelli secured the crown
Before the race, Antonelli held a large championship lead: it was enough for him to finish ninth or higher to clinch the title early regardless of his rivals' results. Starting fourth, he held his position through a chaotic first lap, on which Charles Leclerc took the lead after a battle with his Ferrari teammate Hamilton. Antonelli even briefly led the race during the pit-stop window, stretching his first stint on soft tyres to lap 44.
The key overtake and red flags
The fate of the title was decided on lap 48: Antonelli overtook Leclerc at the first corner and took third place, then held the position, repelling attacks from Lando Norris. The race was halted twice: by a crash for Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas, which was followed by a safety car and red flags, and by Arvid Lindblad going off on lap 59. Finishing third, Antonelli became champion with four rounds remaining in the season.
Records and the significance of the result
Antonelli broke Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest Formula 1 champion in history and became the first Italian to win the title since 1953, when Alberto Ascari became champion. He claimed the championship in only his second season in Formula 1: in 2025 he replaced seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Constructors' Championship and the remaining rounds
After Mexico, Mercedes leads the Constructors' Championship with 630 points; Ferrari, on 504 points, remains the only team that can still theoretically catch the leader — under a certain scenario, Mercedes could clinch the championship as early as the next round, Life.ru reports. The next race of the season will take place in Brazil from November 6 to 8. Points were also scored in the race by Leclerc (fourth), Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly.
