Mexico City GP 2026 Results: Verstappen Wins, Antonelli Champion | Formula Dream
Mexico City GP 2026 Race Results: Verstappen Wins, Antonelli Is Champion
Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton by 0.799 seconds in a Mexico City Grand Prix with a red flag, three safety car periods and a Ferrari row, while third place made Kimi Antonelli world champion.
Max Verstappen won the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix by 0.799 seconds from Lewis Hamilton, after a red flag bunched the field and a final safety car gave Hamilton one last chance. Kimi Antonelli was third, and that made him world champion.
It was Verstappen's third win of the season, and his third in four races after Sepang and Singapore. Hamilton started from his first pole of 2026 and finished second, but the race he will remember was the one he lost to his own team-mate on the first lap. Antonelli needed ninth and took third, and the full story of his title is in Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 F1 world champion
Hamilton took pole on Saturday with a 1:16.514, just 0.009 seconds quicker than George Russell, with Charles Leclerc third, Antonelli fourth and Verstappen fifth. On the radio afterwards he sounded like a driver who had waited a long time for it.
"I hope you're proud of yourselves too. You've got to keep pushing. We're on the right track. Wow, such a good feeling."
Turn 4: the Ferrari row
The long run to turn 1 decided less than usual. Leclerc drew alongside Hamilton, Russell lost ground before the braking zone, and the fight carried on to turn 4, where Leclerc went around the outside. Both Ferraris ran off the track. Leclerc came back across with the lead, Hamilton rejoined with a poor exit, and Verstappen passed him on the way out of turn 5.
Behind them Russell tapped Isack Hadjar into a spin at turn 6 and was given a 10 second penalty. Hamilton wanted to know what would happen to his team-mate.
"what's happening about charles". The answer was a five second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Hamilton did not think that was enough.
"The problem with the five-second penalty is he's got clean air. He doesn't have to manage like the rest of us. You just give the positions back."
Both Aston Martins were out inside the first seven laps. Fernando Alonso was called in to retire, and Lance Stroll stopped at turn 6 a lap later, which brought out a virtual safety car.
Three strategies at the front
Verstappen started on mediums, while the cars around him started on softs. Leclerc and Verstappen both stopped on lap 27, Leclerc serving his penalty, and Verstappen came out ahead on a set of softs. Hamilton stopped a lap later.
Mercedes did something different with Antonelli. He stayed out on his first set until lap 43, and his engineer kept the messages calm.
"still super happy with these lap times Kimmy, just keep it up". His stop, 23.7 seconds in the pit lane, came just in time.
The red flag
On the same lap Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac lost its front left suspension under braking for turn 1 and went heavily into the barrier. The safety car came out, and with the barrier needing repairs, the race was stopped. Bottas climbed out by himself and was cleared after precautionary checks at the medical centre.
The restart put Verstappen ahead of Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Lando Norris, Russell, Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Hamilton passed Leclerc off the line and went for Verstappen into turn 1, where the two touched lightly and Hamilton had to back out. Antonelli then took third from Leclerc, which was all he needed.
Verstappen's engineer had a simple brief for the rest of the afternoon.
"just do enough to keep him behind". Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race on lap 50, a 1:19.268, but could not get close enough to try a move.
The late safety car
On lap 59 Piastri and Lindblad collided. Lindblad crashed out at turn 2, the safety car came out a third time, and Piastri was later given a 10 second penalty that dropped him from seventh to 13th. Oliver Bearman had already retired after contact with Nico Hulkenberg at turn 4, for which Hulkenberg also received 10 seconds.
After the race the stewards penalised both Alpines for not slowing enough under yellow flags. Franco Colapinto, eighth on the road, received 10 seconds and a penalty point for a single yellow sector. Pierre Gasly, tenth on the road, received a stop and go penalty, converted to time after the flag, and two penalty points for a double yellow sector. Both dropped out of the points.
The restart came with eight laps left. Verstappen kept Hamilton too far back to attack into turn 1 and won by 0.799 seconds. Leclerc, unhappy with his car on mediums, held fourth from Norris by 1.071 seconds.
"car is very difficult to drive". "Yeah the weight and also the medium is a worse tyre, keep your head down," came the reply.
A point on debut for Hirakawa
Haas replaced Esteban Ocon with its reserve driver, Ryo Hirakawa, on Saturday morning, for the rest of the weekend. The team gave no reason, and said it was not illness. Ocon is already due to leave Haas at the end of the season.
Hirakawa started 18th on his Formula 1 debut and was classified tenth after the post-race penalties, scoring a point. Gabriel Bortoleto took eighth for Audi from 13th, and Liam Lawson came from 22nd on the grid to seventh.
2026 Mexico City Grand Prix result
Gaps from the official classification, including time penalties. Grid positions after penalties.
Pos
Driver
Team
Grid
Gap
Points
1
MaxVerstappen
Red BullRBR
5
2:20:28.772
25
2
LewisHamilton
FerrariFER
1
+0.799
18
3
KimiAntonelli
MercedesMER
4
+4.006
15
4
CharlesLeclerc
FerrariFER
3
+10.707
12
5
LandoNorris
McLarenMCL
6
+11.778
10
6
GeorgeRussell
MercedesMER
2
+12.263
Alexander Albon was 11th ahead of Carlos Sainz, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Sergio Perez and Gasly. Lindblad, Bearman, Bottas, Stroll and Alonso were not classified.
What it does to the championship
Antonelli leaves Mexico on 380 points and cannot be caught. The fight for second is close: Verstappen 261, Hamilton 259, Russell 250, Leclerc 245 and Norris 221.
In the constructors' championship Mercedes have 630 to Ferrari's 504, so they can wrap up that title in Sao Paulo next weekend by outscoring Ferrari by four points. Red Bull moved ahead of McLaren for third, 382 to 365. The full tables are on our 2026 F1 standings page.
The race the timing screen does not show
The classification says Hamilton was second, 0.799 seconds behind. It does not say that he spent the first half of the race arguing his team-mate's penalty was too light, or that Mercedes' calmest message of the afternoon went to the driver about to become champion.
The Formula Dream app plays that radio as it happens, with the transcript beside the audio, and collects every FIA document, including the stewards' decisions on Leclerc, Russell, Piastri and Hulkenberg, the moment it is published. It carries live timing in beta, the standings and the full weekend timeline. Download Formula Dream for iOS and Android before Sao Paulo.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen, for Red Bull, by 0.799 seconds from Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli was third.
Did Antonelli win the championship in Mexico?
Yes. Third place left him on 380 points, 119 ahead of Verstappen with 100 points left, so he clinched the 2026 title with four races to spare.
Why was the Mexico City Grand Prix red flagged?
Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac lost its front left suspension under braking for turn 1 and hit the barrier, which needed repairs. Bottas was unhurt.
Why did Ryo Hirakawa drive for Haas instead of Esteban Ocon?
Haas replaced Ocon with Hirakawa for the rest of the weekend on Saturday morning without giving a reason, other than to say it was not illness. Hirakawa was classified tenth on debut, after post-race penalties to the two Alpines.
Every F1 constructors' champion, 1958 to 2025, and why Mercedes can add 2026 this weekend
All 68 Formula 1 constructors' championships from Vanwall in 1958 to McLaren in 2025: the team, its wins, its points and the round it was settled. Mercedes lead the 2026 table by 126 points and can win the title at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
