Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1 world champion on Sunday by finishing third in the Mexico City Grand Prix, the FIA reports, 4.006 seconds behind Max Verstappen, who took 71 laps in 2:20:28.772. Lewis Hamilton finished second, 0.799 seconds behind the Red Bull. Antonelli is champion at 20 years and 68 days, Sky Sports calculates, against Sebastian Vettel's previous record of 23 years and 134 days. Formula1.com has him as Italy's first champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Ninth was all he needed, and the FIA's championship points document after Mexico City has him on 380 against Verstappen's 261. A lead of 119 with four Grands Prix and no Sprints left, 100 points in all, cannot be caught. He started fourth on a grid led by Hamilton's 1:16.514, 0.009 seconds quicker than George Russell, in the FIA's qualifying classification.
Turn 4 on the first lap decided who won the race. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc arrived side by side and both went off, Hamilton on the inside and Leclerc across the grass and into the lead. Verstappen, from fifth on the grid, came through into second. Document 69 records that "both cars entered turn 4 with excessive speed" and that Leclerc "was therefore not entitled to claim the corner". The baseline for the offence is 10 seconds. The stewards gave five, because Hamilton was also off track and it happened early on the opening lap.
Ferrari left the order alone. Leclerc told Autosport he had no clear feedback from the team and that the situation was "just confusing enough to keep the position". Verstappen had already passed Hamilton, which, formula1.com's race report says, removed any chance of handing the place back. Hamilton, on the radio, said "the stewards are basically handing Charles this win".
The stops cashed the penalty in. Leclerc's lead over Verstappen was 3.2 seconds on lap 12 and about five on lap 22, formula1.com's report says. Verstappen had started on mediums, against softs for most of the leaders. Autosport's analysis has him 4.8 seconds behind at the end of lap 26, inside the penalty, when Red Bull brought him in directly behind Leclerc. Leclerc sat out his five seconds on mediums and Verstappen left on softs, net ahead. The FIA's race report and Sky put those stops on lap 28; formula1.com and Autosport have them at the end of lap 27.
Mercedes kept Antonelli out for a Safety Car that came too late. He led from Hamilton's stop until the end of lap 43, took a 4.3-second stop and rejoined fourth, and the Safety Car arrived one lap later, formula1.com says. Valtteri Bottas had gone heavily into the barrier on the run to Turn 1 after a left-front suspension failure, in the FIA's account. He climbed out unaided and was taken for checks. The barrier repairs needed a red flag. Sources put it on three different laps, so this piece does not name one.
Hamilton passed Leclerc at the standing restart and went for Verstappen into Turn 1, with light contact and no stewards' document on it. Leclerc locked up and flat-spotted his front left. Antonelli went down the inside of him into Turn 1 on the next lap and held third to the flag. Verstappen covered Hamilton at the last restart, on lap 63 by Autosport's count, with eight laps left. Hamilton set the race's fastest lap, 1:19.268, on the Jolpica feed.
Hamilton's verdict came with a precedent. "Obviously last year I got a 10-second penalty for that same move that he did," he told RaceFans. "But ultimately it was that that lost us the win today and I think we have to have some serious talks behind the scenes, for sure." Leclerc called the penalty "deserved in a way", formula1.com reports, and said: "I think we both didn't make the corner." Fred Vasseur told Canal+, in formula1.com's round-up: "It's stuck in my throat." Fourth on the road, 10.707 seconds back, is where Leclerc stayed, holding off Lando Norris by 1.071 seconds.
Russell, one of the two drivers who could still have stopped Antonelli on Sunday, finished sixth. He lost four places at the start to what formula1.com calls apparent energy deployment problems, then tapped Isack Hadjar into a spin at Turn 6. Document 70 gave him the baseline 10 seconds because his front axle was not level with Hadjar's mirror. He then left the circuit before the post-race media session, and document 83 fined Mercedes 5,000 euros.
Three more penalties arrived after the flag and moved every points place from seventh down. Oscar Piastri took 10 seconds for hitting Arvid Lindblad at the entry to Turn 2, the crash behind the late Safety Car, with document 79 finding he "was never fully alongside". Both Alpines were caught on yellow flags: Franco Colapinto 10 seconds (document 85) and Pierre Gasly a stop and go (document 84). Seventh, eighth and tenth on the road became 13th, 15th and 17th. Liam Lawson, from the pit lane after his qualifying disqualification, moved up to seventh, with Gabriel Bortoleto eighth and Hadjar ninth.
Ryo Hirakawa took the last point. Haas called him up to replace Esteban Ocon from Saturday, Sky Sports reports, and in his first Grand Prix he started 18th, crossed the line 13th and was classified tenth.
Red Bull and McLaren left Austin level on 355 in the constructors' table. On the road Red Bull had 380 points to McLaren's 371; after the penalties it is 382 to 365, a gap of 17. Mercedes has 630 to Ferrari's 504, a lead of 126 with 172 still available, so that title is not yet settled. If Mercedes outscores Ferrari by four in São Paulo, it is. The FIA's table carries a note that it is subject to Audi's intended appeal over a Monza decision.
Second place in the drivers' table is still open. Verstappen has 261, Hamilton 259, Russell 250 and Leclerc 245, four drivers across 16 points, and Norris on 221 is still in range of all of them with 100 left. Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1, as relayed by formula1.com, that promoting Antonelli "was always a calculated risk, not a real risk". Antonelli failed to score in 10 races as a rookie last year, formula1.com notes, and has won nine Grands Prix in 2026.