F1 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix results: Victory for Verstappen, Antonelli becomes youngest ever champion

Max Verstappen claimed victory at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, holding off Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to take the chequered flag ahead of the Ferrari driver and Kimi Antonelli, who was crowned 2026 F1 Champion.

The Red Bull driver emerged on top after a race interrupted by multiple Safety Car periods and a red flag. Hamilton finished just 0.799 seconds behind Verstappen, while Antonelli secured another podium and enough points to take the title and become the sport’s youngest-ever champion.

Full summary of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix results

• Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 2026 F1 Champion Kimi Antonelli.
• Outgoing champion Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren and George Russell sixth.
• Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman were among the non-finishers after separate incidents late in the race.

2026 Mexico City Grand Prix results

Hamilton fights back to finish second

Hamilton started from pole position and initially defended his lead against Leclerc through the opening corners, but the Monegasque mounted another challenge around the outside of Turn 4. With both Ferraris running wide at the front, Verstappen took advantage to move into second. Leclerc received a five-second penalty for the incident but retained the lead, while Hamilton dropped to third.

Hamilton made his first pit stop on Lap 28, rejoining sixth, still behind his team-mate. He stopped again under the Safety Car on Lap 44, before the red flags brought a stop to proceedings.

Starting third for the restart, Hamilton passed Leclerc on the run to Turn 1 to move into second. He also tried to challenge Verstappen for the lead but could not complete the move.

Hamilton remained second at the next Safety Car restart on Lap 63 and continued to pressure Verstappen over the closing laps. He eventually finished just 0.799 seconds behind, securing a second-place finish for Ferrari.

Antonelli becomes F1’s youngest champion

Antonelli started fourth and held position through the opening lap. Yet to make his own stop, he inherited the lead when Hamilton made his first pit stop on Lap 28.

Antonelli pitted on Lap 43 and rejoined fourth, only for the Safety Car to be deployed a lap later following Valtteri Bottas' suspension failure at Turn 1. The incident was followed by a red flag, with Antonelli lining up fourth for the restart.

He held that position through the opening lap before making his move on Leclerc into Turn 1 on Lap 48, taking third.
Antonelli remained close to Verstappen and Hamilton through the final phase of the race, eventually securing third to become the 2026 F1 World champion, and the youngest the sport has ever seen.

Norris finishes fifth after late battle with Leclerc

Norris started sixth but slipped to eighth during the opening lap. The McLaren driver recovered by passing Lindblad and Colapinto by Lap 7, returning to sixth before rising as high as second while several of the other front-runners made their pit stops.

Norris stopped on Lap 39 and rejoined fifth, retaining that position through the red-flag restart and the subsequent Safety Car period.

He then found himself battling Leclerc for fourth in the final two laps, but could not find a way past the Ferrari and had to settle for fifth.

Russell takes sixth after early penalty

Russell started second but dropped to fifth during the opening corner; then he made contact with Isack Hadjar later in the lap and was handed a 10-second penalty as a result.

Russell pitted on Lap 34 and rejoined eighth, just behind Franco Colapinto. He then stopped again under the Safety Car on Lap 44, before the red flag brought the field together for another restart.

The Mercedes driver was sixth after the restart and held that position through the final Safety Car period, eventually crossing the line to finish sixth.

Lindblad and Bearman retire after late incidents

Arvid Lindblad started eighth and made an excellent opening lap, climbing to sixth before losing ground to Norris and Piastri.

He made his first stop on Lap 35 and rejoined ninth. The Racing Bulls driver then moved up to seventh at the restart, putting himself in contention for another strong points finish.

However, Lindblad's race came to an end on Lap 59 after making contact with Piastri at Turn 2. The incident brought out another Safety Car, which remained in place until the end of Lap 62.

Oliver Bearman also endured a difficult afternoon. Starting 14th, the Haas driver moved up to 12th on the opening lap before making his first pit stop on Lap 40.

He was 11th at the red flag restart, but contact with Nico Hulkenberg, and the resulting damage forced Bearman to retire.

2026 Mexico City Grand Prix: key takeaways

• Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton to win the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix by 0.799 seconds.
• Hamilton recovered to second after an early battle with Leclerc and a pair of pit stops.
• Kimi Antonelli finished third to take the 2026 F1 title
• Lando Norris took fifth after briefly running as high as second during the pit-stop cycle.
• George Russell finished sixth despite a 10-second penalty following contact with Hadjar.
• Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman both retired after separate incidents.

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