Antonelli becomes youngest F1 world champion as Verstappen wins chaotic 2026 Mexican GP

News Summary

• Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix, becoming the youngest champion in the sport’s history at just 20.
• Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, overcoming a five-place starting position in an event disrupted by crashes, penalties and a red flag.
• The result ended Italy’s 73-year wait for a Formula 1 world champion, dating back to Alberto Ascari’s second title in 1953.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 history on Sunday (November 1), becoming the youngest world champion the sport has ever seen, as Max Verstappen won a dramatic Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured his maiden Drivers’ Championship with four rounds remaining, completing a remarkable 2026 campaign that has established him among the sport’s youngest and most successful talents.

Antonelli arrived in Mexico with a 123-point advantage over teammate George Russell, needing only ninth place to guarantee the championship. The Italian started fourth after Verstappen’s grid penalty and navigated a turbulent 71-lap contest to settle the title fight, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s age record from 2010.

Antonelli completes historic season and ends Italy’s 73-year wait

Antonelli’s championship represents a historic achievement for Italian motorsport.

No Italian driver had won the Formula 1 World Championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953, when the Ferrari driver secured his second consecutive crown.

More than seven decades later, Antonelli has ended that wait in only his second season as a full-time Formula 1 driver.

The Mercedes youngster entered 2026 as one of the leading contenders following his development during his rookie campaign, but few could have anticipated the scale of his success.

He arrived in Mexico with nine Grand Prix victories, having strengthened his position through an impressive win at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

Antonelli had admitted feeling tense during Saturday’s qualifying session, acknowledging that the constant discussion about the championship had affected his performance.

Nevertheless, his fourth-place starting position gave him a strong opportunity to secure the remaining points required.

The Italian also becomes the first driver to win the championship at the age of 20, surpassing Vettel, who was 23 when he claimed his first title with Red Bull in 2010.

Verstappen fights through as Ferrari teammates clash

The race began with Lewis Hamilton attempting to convert his first Ferrari pole position into victory.

However, the opening lap immediately produced controversy.

Charles Leclerc attacked his teammate through the first sequence of corners before leaving the circuit at Turn 4 and completing a manoeuvre outside the track limits.

Hamilton complained over the radio, accusing Leclerc of forcing him off the circuit.

The FIA subsequently imposed a five-second penalty on Leclerc, determining that the Monegasque had gained a lasting advantage.

The stewards explained that the normal ten-second penalty had been reduced because Hamilton had also entered the corner too quickly and left the circuit.

Verstappen, meanwhile, became a central figure in the fight for victory despite starting fifth following a one-place grid penalty.

The Red Bull driver worked his way into contention as the leading teams adopted different strategies, with the order changing repeatedly through the pit-stop cycle.

Bottas crash triggers red flag and transforms race strategies

The race was dramatically interrupted when Valtteri Bottas suffered an apparent front-left suspension failure while braking for Turn 1.

The Cadillac driver lost control and crashed into the protective barriers, prompting Race Control to deploy the Safety Car before suspending the Grand Prix with a red flag.

Cadillac confirmed that Bottas exited the car without assistance and was responsive over the radio, although he was taken to the circuit’s Medical Centre for precautionary examinations.

The incident occurred at a particularly important moment for Antonelli, who had recently completed a pit stop after running at the front.

Several rivals, including Hamilton, had also changed tyres, but the red flag altered the strategic situation because drivers were permitted to change tyres during the suspension.

At the stoppage, Verstappen led Leclerc, Antonelli, Hamilton and Lando Norris.

The interruption set up a decisive final phase, with the leading drivers facing a restart and another opportunity to fight for position.

Piastri and Lindblad collide as Mexico produces another Safety Car

The drama continued when Oscar Piastri attempted to overtake Arvid Lindblad around the outside of Turn 1.

Lindblad had been running seventh when the McLaren driver attempted the move, but the two cars made contact.

The Racing Bulls was sent off the circuit and into the tyre barriers, triggering another Safety Car intervention.

The collision added to a difficult weekend for Piastri, who had already suffered his first failure to reach Q3 since the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix.

It also compounded an eventful race for Racing Bulls after teammate Liam Lawson was disqualified from qualifying over an MGU-K technical infringement, although the FIA authorised him to start from the back of the grid.

Aston Martin had also endured a disastrous afternoon, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retiring within the opening seven laps.

Verstappen wins as Antonelli celebrates world championship

Verstappen emerged victorious from the disrupted contest, securing another Grand Prix win for Red Bull after overcoming the grid penalty that had dropped him to fifth.

However, the championship belonged to Antonelli, whose performance across the season had already placed him within touching distance of the title.

The Italian’s success represents a major milestone for Mercedes, which has returned to the top of the Drivers’ Championship with one of the youngest champions in Formula 1 history.

The result also establishes Antonelli as the successor to Ascari in Italy’s world championship history, ending a wait that began in 1953.

The next scheduled round is the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on November 8.

F1 2026 — Mexican Grand Prix race results

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.