Kimi Antonelli, 20, Becomes Formula 1’s Youngest World Champion as Verstappen Wins in Mexico City
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli sealed the 2026 title with third place at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton for victory.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver clinched the title with third place at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, 1 November, becoming the youngest champion in the sport’s history.
Antonelli needed only a ninth-place finish to make the title his, whatever Lewis Hamilton and George Russell did. Starting fourth, he stayed out of trouble on a chaotic afternoon and finished on the podium.
Verstappen wins an eventful race
Max Verstappen took his third win of the season for Red Bull, holding off Ferrari’s Hamilton by 0.7 seconds after a late restart.
- Charles Leclerc was penalised for cutting the track on the opening lap after running side by side with Hamilton.
- Russell received a 10-second penalty for tapping Isack Hadjar into a spin on lap 1.
- Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily at Turn 1 after a front-left suspension failure, bringing out a red flag from lap 46.
- Arvid Lindblad went out at Turn 2 after contact with Oscar Piastri, triggering a late Safety Car.
What’s next
The championship is settled, but the season continues with the São Paulo Grand Prix from 6 to 8 November.
Featured image: Aerial view of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City. Photo: Planet Labs, Inc., CC BY-SA 4.0 (source).
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