Antonelli clinches title as Verstappen wins Mexico City Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli secured the world championship with a third‑place finish while Max Verstappen took his sixth victory in Mexico.
Not quite a perfect weekend but a superb Sunday. Antonelli started from fifth after a grid penalty, capitalised on the Ferrari dispute ahead, and defended against Hamilton through two restarts to earn his third win in four races.
A brilliant first Ferrari pole and arguably his strongest weekend with the team. He contributed to both drivers running wide at Turn Four on lap one, recovered to chase Verstappen, and set the fastest lap.
The pressure was enormous and he handled it superbly. An excellent first stint on the soft tyre, a decisive move on Leclerc after the red flag, and a podium finish secured his place as Formula 1’s youngest world champion.
Other drivers’ weekend snapshots
Very quick at times, including topping final practice and Q2, but sixth on the grid left him with too much to do. His race pace was excellent, finishing just behind Leclerc’s gearbox, though an opening‑lap loss hurt his chances.
Missing pole by just 0.009 seconds was excellent and the lack of deployment at the start wasn't his fault. However, spinning Isack Hadjar and a 10‑second penalty were significant mistakes on a day with more to offer.
An excellent recovery from the pit lane after his qualifying disqualification for a technical breach. He had already shown top‑10 pace on Saturday and fought to seventh after penalties were applied.
Didn't have the outright pace of Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying but kept himself in contention during a chaotic race. He stayed clean while several around him did not and finished eighth.
Max Verstappen’s sixth Mexico City victory came after holding off Lewis Hamilton following a late safety‑car restart, while Antonelli’s third place was enough to clinch the title with four races remaining.
