# Kimi Antonelli is F1 world champion at 20 as Verstappen wins in Mexico City

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/sports/kimi-antonelli-is-f1-world-champion-at-20-as-verstappen-wins-in-mexico-city)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 2 Nov 2026
Updated: 2 Nov 2026
Retrieved: 2 Nov 2026

> Third place in Mexico was enough. The Mercedes driver beats Vettel's record as the youngest champion ever, with four races still to run.

**Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 Formula 1 world champion.** The Mercedes driver finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, which started at 1am Pakistan time on Monday, and that was enough to settle the title with four rounds still to run. Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/13606682/kimi-antonelli-crowned-2026-f1-world-champion-as-max-verstappen-wins-wild-mexico-city-grand-prix-from-lewis-hamilton) reported.

Antonelli is 20 years and 68 days old. Sky Sports says that makes him the youngest champion in the sport's history by about three years, beating Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won in 2010. He is also Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. "We did it, we did it," he said on the team radio.

## Mexico City Grand Prix 2026: the top 10

| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Winner |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.799s |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +4.006s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +10.707s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +11.778s |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | +12.263s |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +19.475s |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +20.204s |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +20.899s |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +21.483s |

Gaps from the classification published by [Total Motorsport](https://www.total-motorsport.com/mexico-city-gp-results-2026-full-race-classification/). Arvid Lindblad, Oliver Bearman, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso did not finish.

## How the race was won

- **Lap 1:** Hamilton started from his first pole for Ferrari, but Leclerc cut across the grass to take the lead and was given a five-second penalty. Hamilton complained that the stewards were "basically handling Charles this win".
- **Red flag:** Bottas crashed heavily into the barriers in his Cadillac after a front-right suspension failure on lap 46, stopping the race. It restarted from the grid with 26 laps left.
- **The restart:** Hamilton attacked Verstappen into Turn 1 and the two touched, but Verstappen came out in front and stayed there. It was his third win in four races.
- **Safety car:** Lindblad crashed after tangling with Piastri, bunching the field again before the finish.
- **Leclerc** held on for fourth on flat-spotted front tyres.

Antonelli only needed a solid finish after his win in Austin a week earlier left him on the edge of the title. We previewed the weekend in [Mexico City Grand Prix at 1am PKT Monday](/news/sports/mexico-city-grand-prix-at-1am-pkt-monday-hamilton-on-first-ferrari-pole) and covered the near miss in [Austin](/news/sports/us-grand-prix-2026-antonelli-wins-in-austin-but-hamiltons-p4-delays-the-f1-title).

## What is left of the season

With the drivers' title decided, the fight moves to second place and to the constructors' championship. The next race is the **Sao Paulo Grand Prix** in Brazil on the weekend of 6 to 8 November, the last of three races in a row. Brazil is eight hours behind Pakistan, so the Sunday race usually starts in the late evening PKT.

Following the season from Pakistan on a streaming plan priced in dollars? Check today's [dollar rate](/data/usd-pkr) or work it out with the [currency converter](/tools/finance/currency-converter).

## Frequently asked questions

**Who won the 2026 F1 world championship?**

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes clinched the 2026 drivers' title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November 2026 (early on 2 November in Pakistan), with four rounds left.

**Who won the Mexico City Grand Prix 2026?**

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won, 0.799 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), with Antonelli third.

**When is the next F1 race?**

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, the weekend of 6 to 8 November 2026.

## Sources

- Kimi Antonelli crowned 2026 F1 world champion as Max Verstappen wins wild Mexico City Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton (Sky Sports): https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/13606682/kimi-antonelli-crowned-2026-f1-world-champion-as-max-verstappen-wins-wild-mexico-city-grand-prix-from-lewis-hamilton
- Mexico City GP Results 2026: Full Race Classification (Total Motorsport): https://www.total-motorsport.com/mexico-city-gp-results-2026-full-race-classification/
- Mexico City Grand Prix results: Max Verstappen wins as Kimi Antonelli crowned F1 champion (ESPN): https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/50321045/mexico-city-grand-prix-2026-live-updates-results-analysis-commentary-autodromo-hermanos-rodriguez

How to cite: "Kimi Antonelli is F1 world champion at 20 as Verstappen wins in Mexico City", Searchable, 2 Nov 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/sports/kimi-antonelli-is-f1-world-champion-at-20-as-verstappen-wins-in-mexico-city