A new World Champion. A surprise in-season swap. Ferrari blowing their shot at a 1-2 finish after starting first and third. The 2026 Mexican Grand Prix delivered plenty of storylines at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
Even with Kimi Antonelli clinching his maiden title in Mexico City, there’s still plenty to fight for before 2026 ends. Mercedes are on the verge of securing yet another Constructors’ Championship, and the battle for second in the Drivers’ Standings remains wide open with four rounds to go.
Kimi Antonelli Becomes Formula 1’s Youngest World Champion
A third-place finish behind race winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton gave Kimi Antonelli enough of a points cushion to wrap up the Drivers’ Championship in Mexico.
At 20 years and 68 days old, Antonelli is now the sport’s youngest World Champion, breaking the record Sebastian Vettel held since securing his maiden title in Abu Dhabi at 23 years and 134 days old. Having netted 380 points over 19 rounds, the young Italian also becomes Italy’s first World Champion in 73 years.
Achieving this in just his second F1 season is a massive feat, especially considering his rookie-year struggles. With that, Kimi dethrones Lando Norris, marking the shortest single-title reign in 34 years, since Nigel Mansell ended Ayrton Senna’s 1991 reign after just 301 days at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix.
‘Big Problems’ At Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton claimed his 105th pole position, and his first with Ferrari, ahead of Sunday’s race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, showing strong pace before holding his advantage on the long run to Turn 1.
His clash with teammate Charles Leclerc, however, meant he also lost a position to eventual race winner Max Verstappen. Leclerc was only handed a five-second penalty for the incident, with the stewards opting against a harsher punishment as Hamilton had also gone off track.
Despite challenging the Dutchman until the end and crossing the line in second place, Hamilton was visibly frustrated by his teammate’s actions. It was another race where the car had the pace for a better result, with the Briton claiming Ferrari “easily had a car to finish P1 and P2”.
It marks yet another flashpoint where both Ferraris have gone wheel-to-wheel this season, following a frenetic battle in China and Leclerc apologising for pushing Hamilton off at the start of the Italian GP.
Red Bull Strikes Again
Starting fifth, Max Verstappen nailed the launch off the line and immediately inherited second place after both Ferraris clashed.
Despite lacking a bit of raw pace compared to the Ferraris, he survived a standing restart and a late Safety Car restart on Lap 62 (triggered when Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad collided) to hold off Lewis Hamilton and win the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix.
His teammate also pulled off a brilliant recovery drive after George Russell clipped his right-rear, spinning him to the back of the pack. Despite crossing the line in P12, post-race penalties for Piastri and both Alpine drivers bumped the Frenchman three spots into P9, salvaging two points in the fight with McLaren for third in the constructors’ standings.
Verstappen’s sixth win in Mexico also moves him up to second in the drivers’ standings, two points clear of Hamilton and ahead of Russell, who now drops to fourth.
A Dream Debut For Ryo Hirakawa, Formula 1’s Latest Debutant
Following Free Practice 2, Haas announced that Ryo Hirakawa would replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the Mexico City race weekend.
The Japanese driver has enjoyed success in the World Endurance Championship, winning the Drivers’ Championship in his maiden season and repeating the feat in 2023. Hirakawa continues to compete in the series with Toyota Racing, who currently lead the 2026 standings.
He arrived in F1 as a reserve driver for McLaren and went on to complete his maiden FP1 session with the squad at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After serving as a test and reserve driver for Alpine in 2025, the 32-year-old switched to Haas, where he has participated in six Free Practice sessions.
Hirakawa qualified P19 before starting his maiden Grand Prix a spot higher on the grid following a penalty for Liam Lawson. He circulated in the midfield battle for much of the race and crossed the line in P13.
Things got even better post-race as Hirakawa joined an exclusive club of drivers to score points on their F1 debut. Time penalties for Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, and Pierre Gasly promoted him to P10, a moment he will savour from what could be his only Formula 1 start.
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Formula 1 will return from November 6 to November 9 for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Feature Image Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team