Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest F1 world champion at 20 as Verstappen wins chaotic Mexico City GP and Hamilton demands Ferrari talks

Kimi Antonelli is the Formula 1 world champion. The Mercedes driver finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and at 20 years and 68 days old became the youngest champion in the sport's history, with four races still to run. Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli needed only ninth place to be sure of the title, even if his team-mate and closest rival George Russell won. He ended up on the podium anyway, and Russell, handed a 10-second penalty on the opening lap, could manage no better than sixth.

Three years off Vettel's record

The old mark had stood since Abu Dhabi in 2010, when Sebastian Vettel took the title at 23. Antonelli has beaten it by three years and 66 days. He is also the first Italian to win the drivers' championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953, a gap of 73 years. Antonelli said afterwards he was left speechless.

Youngest F1 champions	Age at first title	Year
Kimi Antonelli	20 years, 68 days	2026
Sebastian Vettel	23 years, 134 days	2010
Lewis Hamilton	23 years, 300 days	2008
Fernando Alonso	24 years, 58 days	2005
Max Verstappen	24 years, 73 days	2021

How a red flag and two restarts shaped the race

Hamilton started from pole in his Ferrari and led through the first corner, but the afternoon turned at Turn 4. Charles Leclerc attacked his team-mate, both cars ran off the track, and Leclerc rejoined in front. Verstappen took the chance to slip past Hamilton as well.

Leclerc did not hand the place back and was given a five-second penalty, which he served at his pit stop. That put Verstappen in front. Further back, Russell spun Isack Hadjar around on the first lap and collected his own penalty.

On lap 44, Valtteri Bottas suffered a front-left failure in his Cadillac on the run to Turn 1 and hit the wall at about 200 mph. He walked away, but the barriers needed repairs and the race was stopped. It resumed with a standing start on lap 47, when Hamilton jumped Leclerc and went after Verstappen.

Antonelli passed the struggling Leclerc on lap 48 for third, the position he kept to the flag. A collision between Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad on lap 59 brought one more safety car and a final rolling restart at the end of lap 62. Hamilton spent the last eight laps in Verstappen's mirrors, often less than a second behind, and could not find a way by.

Pos	Driver	Team
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari
3	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
5	Lando Norris	McLaren
6	George Russell	Mercedes
7	Oscar Piastri	McLaren
8	Franco Colapinto	Alpine
9	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine

Lawson's ninth was a recovery from the pit lane after he was excluded from qualifying over a technical breach. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both retired their Aston Martins by lap seven with power unit problems. Ryo Hirakawa finished 13th on his debut for Haas, a late replacement for Esteban Ocon.

Hamilton's warning to Ferrari

Hamilton congratulated the driver who replaced him at Mercedes, then turned to his own garage. The Turn 4 clash, he said, was what lost Ferrari the win, and the team would need "serious talks" behind the scenes. He pointed out that he received a 10-second penalty for the same kind of move last year.

The stewards said Leclerc's penalty was reduced from the usual 10 seconds because Hamilton was also off the track on the inside and because it happened early on the first lap. Leclerc called it racing and said he would speak to Hamilton.

The dispute is a sour note on a good points day. Ferrari outscored Mercedes by 30 to 23 in Mexico and cut the gap in the constructors' championship to 126 points.

What is still to be decided

The drivers' title is gone, but the fight for second is open among Russell, Hamilton and Verstappen, who has now won three of the last four races. Mercedes still has to close out the constructors' title. The next round is the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo on Sunday, November 8.