Antonelli becomes youngest F1 champion in Mexico

On the restart on lap 48, after almost forty minutes under a red flag, Kimi Antonelli passed Charles Leclerc for third place and never gave it back. With that third place at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 champion ever, at 20 years and 68 days.

He needed only ninth place, no matter where Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished. He wrapped up the title with four races still to go. He beat Sebastian Vettel’s record by three years, and he is also the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

After the race in Mexico City, Antonelli said:

We did it. And, you know, without them, I wouldn’t be here. Without Mercedes, without my family, so I’m very grateful for this moment, and it’s one that will live forever. And I just, I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what has just happened.

The new champion thanked his team and family, having finished 4.006 seconds behind the winner.

How did Verstappen go from fifth on the grid to the win?

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) started fifth and won by 0.799 seconds over Hamilton. It was the Dutchman’s third win of the season and his third in the last four races. He is now second in the championship, 119 points behind Antonelli.

The race was decided in the first corners. Hamilton started from pole, and Leclerc tried to pass him on the outside and went through the grass into the lead. Hamilton lost momentum, so Verstappen took advantage of the quarrel inside Ferrari and darted into second. Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track, and Hamilton commented on it over the radio:

The stewards are basically handing Charles this win.

Earlier he had also said he was pushed by his own team-mate: “I got pushed off by my own team-mate.”

Verstappen was the only driver in the leading group to start on medium tires, while the rest started on softs. Leclerc and Verstappen pitted on lap 28. Verstappen switched to softs and Leclerc to mediums, and the Dutchman came out ahead of the Monegasque, who still had to serve his penalty. Autosport gives lap 28 and the official Formula 1 website a lap earlier, which does not change the outcome.

What stopped the race in Mexico?

Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) hit the wall in the first corner after a suspension failure on the left front, and the safety car was turned into a red flag. Bottas was checked at the medical center and released without injuries. The barrier took almost 40 minutes to repair.

Russell collected a 10-second penalty at the start for a collision with Isack Hadjar, whom he spun on track. Both Aston Martins, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, retired after only a few laps with problems on the new Honda power unit. Arvid Lindblad collided with Oscar Piastri late in the race and hit the wall, which brought out another safety car. Verstappen handled the restart with eight laps to go without a mistake, and Hamilton stayed in his mirrors to the finish.

What did the final classification look like?

The top six places were the same in every source:

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +0.799
• 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), +4.006
• 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes)

From seventh place the sources differ. The Autosport table and the B92 report list Piastri, Colapinto and Gasly in the top ten, without penalties handed out after the race. According to the official Formula 1 website, the top ten was closed by Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls, who started from the pit lane), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Hadjar and Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), who made his Formula 1 debut after a call in the middle of the weekend. Piastri received 10 seconds for the collision with Lindblad and dropped to 13th, and Nico Hulkenberg was penalized 10 seconds for contact with Ollie Bearman and finished 14th. Franco Colapinto also received 10 seconds for yellow flags, and Pierre Gasly 30 seconds. Home favorite Sergio Perez was 16th in a Cadillac.

The next stop is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, November 6 to 8 at the Jose Carlos Pace circuit. Antonelli will drive there for the first time as champion, and Verstappen with three wins in the last four races.