Antonelli becomes youngest F1 world champion after Mexico City GP

Kimi Antonelli, 20 years and 68 days old, secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Nov 2, while Max Verstappen claimed the race win, Nagaland Post reported.

Race overview

The 71-lap event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez required Antonelli only a ninth-place finish to lock the title, but the Mercedes driver started from fourth on the grid and ended the day in third. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, took the victory, finishing 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who started from fifth. Verstappen’s win marked his third of the season and came after an intense intra-team battle at Ferrari that saw Charles Leclerc finish fourth, holding off Lando Norris of McLaren. George Russell and Liam Lawson completed the top six after making their way through the pit lane.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Ryo Hirakawa, who made his F1 debut for Haas, rounded out the top ten. Alex Albon of Williams and his teammate Carlos Sainz finished just outside the points, while Oscar Piastri, after receiving a 10-second penalty for a collision with Arvid Lindblad, dropped to 13th.

Incidents and penalties

The race was interrupted by a mid-race red flag following a heavy accident involving Valtteri Bottas. A later safety-car period was triggered by a crash from Lindblad. Several drivers incurred time penalties: Piastri received a 10-second penalty for the Lindblad collision; Nico Hulkenberg was also handed a 10-second penalty after a clash with Ollie Bearman; Alpine’s Franco Colapinto received a 10-second penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags; and Pierre Gasly was given a 30-second penalty in lieu of a drive-through for not slowing under double yellow flags. Home hero Sergio Perez finished 16th for Cadillac, and Alpine lost a double-points finish as a result of Gasly’s sanction.

Championship implications

Antonelli’s third-place finish gave him an unassailable 119-point lead in the drivers’ standings, making him the youngest champion in F1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s previous record of 23 years and 134 days set in 2010. Verstappen moved into second place in the standings, while Russell slipped to fourth, 130 points behind his teammate. Hamilton’s second-place finish kept him in contention but did not alter the top of the table.

Looking ahead

The F1 calendar will move on to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, scheduled for Nov 6-8. Teams will aim to close the points gap as the season approaches its final races, with Antonelli’s lead now considered secure according to the Nagaland Post.