Antonelli, 20, becomes F1's youngest world champion
He finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, won by Verstappen. Sergio Pérez, in front of his home crowd, took 17th and scored no points.
Kimi Antonelli is the Formula 1 world champion. The 20-year-old Italian driver for Mercedes clinched the 2026 title on Sunday with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, making him the youngest champion in the sport's history.
A ninth-place finish was all he needed, no matter what Lewis Hamilton or his teammate George Russell did. He started fourth and crossed the line 4.006 seconds behind the winner.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the 71-lap race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2:20:28.772 after starting fifth. It is his third win of the year. Hamilton, in a Ferrari, was second, 0.799 seconds back.
The lead changed hands on the opening lap. Charles Leclerc drew a time penalty for running off the track while fighting Hamilton, who started on pole, and the penalty handed the front to Verstappen. Leclerc finished fourth.
Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac midway through the race, bringing out a red flag, and retired. Later, a collision between Arvid Lindblad and Piastri at Turn 2 led to a safety car. Bearman, Stroll and Alonso did not finish either.
Mexico's Sergio "Checo" Pérez, in the other Cadillac, made his 300th Grand Prix start in front of his home crowd. He finished 17th, 30.695 seconds behind Verstappen, and scored no points.
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 25 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 18 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 12 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | 10 |
| 6 | George Russell | 8 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 6 |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | 4 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | 1 |
