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Quick Answer
Kimi Antonelli finished third in the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday 1 November to become Formula 1 youngest world champion at 20 years and 68 days, while Max Verstappen won the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
How did Antonelli win the title in Mexico?
Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1's youngest world champion on Sunday 1 November, by finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix. The 20 year old Mercedes driver started fourth, needed only ninth place or better to seal the title no matter what anyone else did, and drove a controlled race to third behind race winner Max Verstappen and second placed Lewis Hamilton. When he crossed the line, his voice cracked on the team radio as he said: "We did it, we did it."
Antonelli is 20 years and 68 days old, which beats the previous youngest champion record held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won his first title with Red Bull in 2010. Antonelli is also the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, ending a 73 year wait for Italy. He won nine of the first 19 races of the season, collected his 16th podium finish of the season in Mexico, and clinched the title with four races still to run.
The maths before Mexico were simple, and Antonelli made them look simple. He led on 365 points, 123 ahead of George Russell on 242 and 124 ahead of Hamilton on 241. Ninth place scores two points, and that was enough. Third place scores 15 points, and that took him to 380 points, with an unassailable lead. Russell, who had to win to stay alive, finished only sixth. Hamilton, who also had to win, finished second. Neither result mattered once Antonelli was third, because the title was already his.
What happened in the Mexico City race?
Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, his sixth win in Mexico, his third win of the season, and the 74th win of his career. Verstappen crossed the line in 2 hours 20 minutes 28.772 seconds, beating Hamilton by 0.799 seconds, with Antonelli 3.207 seconds behind the winner. It was a race of two safety cars, a red flag, multiple crashes, and a restart that changed the order at the front.
Hamilton started from pole, his first Grand Prix pole for Ferrari and the 105th pole of his career, and he led early before clashing with Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc during the race, according to Al Jazeera's report. Leclerc finished fourth. Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren. Russell finished sixth, after a race that unravelled for him in the first straight and again later on.
The defining incident came on lap 46 of 71, when Valtteri Bottas suffered a high speed front left suspension failure in his Cadillac down the straight, pitching uncontrollably into the barriers at turn one. The race was red flagged and stopped, with 25 laps remaining. At the restart, the order was Verstappen first, followed by Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris and Russell, and Verstappen did not let the win slip away from there.
Antonelli's key move came around lap 48, when he passed Leclerc for third, according to The Hindu's race report. From there, he managed the gap, avoided trouble, and brought the car home in the position he needed. It was not a win, and it did not need to be. After a week where he missed Thursday media day with a viral illness, and after admitting he felt tense and below his best in qualifying, third place in a chaotic race was a champion's drive.
What happened to George Russell?
George Russell's race, and his title challenge, fell apart in Mexico. He started second, nine thousandths behind Hamilton on the grid, and he had to win to keep the championship alive. Instead, he finished sixth, collected a 10 second penalty for a collision with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, was summoned to see the stewards by the FIA, and saw his team fined 5,000 euros, according to Reuters.
Mercedes excused Russell from post race media duties, with team boss Toto Wolff saying his driver was distraught after the race. Wolff said: "I saw George after the race and obviously he's distraught about the situation. This was a race for him to win. We had the pace in the car and we let him down on the first straight." Russell had already left the circuit by the time the media duties came around.
Russell's fall in the standings is stark. Before Mexico he was second, 123 points behind Antonelli. After Mexico he is fourth on 250 points, behind Verstappen on 261 and Hamilton on 259, and 130 points behind Antonelli. Before the season, Russell had been favourite for the title as the more experienced Mercedes driver and a race winner, while Antonelli had a tough debut season in 2025 and had yet to win in Formula 1. Antonelli has now won nine races this season, and Russell's wait for a first championship goes on.
What does the championship table look like now?
| Position | Driver | Team | Points | | 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 380 | | 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 261 | | 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 259 | | 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 250 | | 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 245 | | 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 221 |
Antonelli leads Verstappen by 119 points with four races left, which is why the title is already decided. The fight now is for second place, where Verstappen leads Hamilton by just two points, with Russell nine points behind Hamilton and Leclerc 16 points behind Verstappen. That is a four way fight for the runner up spot, and it will be decided in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
In the constructors championship, Mercedes lead on 630 points, ahead of Ferrari on 504 points, a gap of 126 points. Mercedes do not need to win in Brazil to keep that lead, but every point in the final four races matters for Ferrari's hopes of closing it, and for Red Bull and McLaren behind them.
When is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and what is still at stake?
Formula 1 moves straight to Brazil this week for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, from Friday 6 November to Sunday 8 November. It is round 20 of 23, and the first race of the post championship era, where the pressure changes completely. Antonelli can race freely for the first time as champion. Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc race for second place. Mercedes race to protect a constructors lead.
The key sessions, in UTC, are below, with conversions for the main markets. Brazil is on local time three hours behind UTC in November, London is on GMT, and New York is on Eastern Standard Time after the United States clock change on 1 November.
| Session | UTC | London GMT | Berlin and Paris CET | New York EST | Los Angeles PST | Karachi PKT | | Practice 1, Friday 6 November | 15:30 | 15:30 | 16:30 | 10:30 | 07:30 | 20:30 | | Qualifying, Saturday 7 November | 18:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 13:00 | 10:00 | 23:00 | | Race, Sunday 8 November | 17:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | 22:00 |
In the UK, every session is live on Sky Sports F1. In the United States, the weekend is on Apple TV. Interlagos is a track where Verstappen has won three of the last six races, in 2019, 2023 and 2024, according to Slip Stream GP's preview, so he arrives as the man to beat even though the title is gone. Antonelli finished second at Interlagos last year, behind Norris, so he has form there too, and he will want his first race as champion to be a celebration, not a procession.
There is also a question hanging over the final races that has nothing to do with points. CNN's report of the Mexico race notes that it remains uncertain whether the final two scheduled Grands Prix, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, will take place, given instability in the region. That is not confirmed as a change, and this post does not claim any race has been cancelled. It is a note to watch, because the calendar after Brazil is Las Vegas, then Qatar, then Abu Dhabi on 6 December, and any change there would reshape the end of the season.
For now, though, the story is simple and historic. A 20 year old Italian, in only his second season in Formula 1, after replacing seven time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, has become the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. He did it in Mexico, in third place, in a red flagged race, with two champions on the podium beside him lifting him in the air. Brazil is the after party. The history was made on Sunday.
Related live posts: Hamilton Takes First Ferrari Pole in Mexico, Antonelli Starts Fourth and Needs Ninth for the Title Tonight, and Leclerc Tops Both Mexico Practices as Antonelli Returns: Friday Times, Verstappen Clash and Qualifying Guide.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Kimi Antonelli becomes Formula One youngest world champion in Mexico City, 2 November 2026; The Hindu, Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest F1 champion; Max Verstappen wins in Mexico, 2 November 2026; Reuters, Distraught Russell excused media duties after Antonelli takes F1 title, 2 November 2026; CNN, Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest champion in F1 history at age 20, 1 November 2026; Malay Mail, Antonelli crowned youngest Formula One champion after Mexico GP podium, 2 November 2026; Slip Stream GP, Brazilian GP 2026 Preview: Schedule, Weather and What to Watch, 2 November 2026; RacingNews365, F1 Brazilian GP 2026 Sao Paulo Schedule and Start Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Kimi Antonelli, the new F1 champion?
20 years and 68 days old, beating Sebastian Vettel's record of 23 years and 134 days, set in 2010.
Who won the Mexico City Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen won for Red Bull, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.799 seconds, with Kimi Antonelli third, 3.207 seconds behind the winner.
Why was the Mexico race red flagged?
Valtteri Bottas suffered a front left suspension failure in his Cadillac on lap 46 and crashed heavily into the barriers at turn one, stopping the race with 25 laps remaining.
What happened to George Russell in Mexico?
Russell finished sixth, collected a 10 second penalty for a collision with Isack Hadjar, was summoned to the stewards, and saw Mercedes fined 5,000 euros. He dropped to fourth in the standings.
When is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix?
Sunday 8 November at Interlagos, starting at 17:00 UTC, which is 17:00 London, 18:00 Berlin and Paris, 12:00 New York, and 22:00 Karachi.
What is still to be decided in F1 this season?
Second place in the drivers championship, between Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc, and the constructors championship, where Mercedes lead Ferrari by 126 points.
