By: The Mexico GP has just concluded: here is what happened during the race.
A chaotic start
When the lights went out, Hamilton made a good start, as did Leclerc, who began battling his team-mate. This led to a misunderstanding between the pair, with the Monegasque attempting a risky move and running off track, while car #44 lost not only the lead but also a position to Verstappen, who moved up into second. The Ferrari pair's incident was placed under investigation, with Leclerc receiving a five-second penalty. There was also a battle between Russell and Hadjar, with the Briton forcing the Frenchman wide, sending him into a spin and forcing him to restart from the back; car #63 was handed a 10-second penalty.
On lap 7, Aston Martin suffered a double retirement, with Stroll parking his ARM26 on track and prompting a brief Virtual Safety Car. By lap 10, the top 10 comprised: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Antonelli, Russell, Norris, Piastri, Norris, Lindblad, Colapinto and Hulkenberg. Taking a quick look at the tyre compounds among the top 10, only car #3 was on the medium tyre.
Leclerc tries, but Red Bull outsmarts him
After being handed his penalty, the Monegasque attempted to build a gap over Verstappen, producing solid, consistent laps that allowed him to put five seconds between himself and the Dutchman. Car #16 was called into the pits on lap 28, as was Verstappen, who took advantage and overtook Leclerc in the pit lane. Hamilton pitted on the following lap, rejoining in sixth place behind the Monegasque. Antonelli therefore became the new race leader, awaiting his first pit stop.
The Bolognese driver did not pit until lap 43, following a truly remarkable stint on soft tyres. After his stop, car #12 rejoined in fourth position.
Big crash for Bottas changes everything in Mexico!
The Cadillac driver hit the barriers heavily at Turn 1: the incident initially brought out the Safety Car, before a red flag followed. The Finn was unharmed, although he took some time to climb out of the car, visibly shaken by what had happened. The temporary suspension of the race worked in Verstappen and Leclerc's favour, but less so for Antonelli (who had stopped just one lap earlier). While the barriers were repaired, the Federation announced that the restart would take place from the grid.
Racing resumes, heading for... the world title
When the lights went out, Verstappen made a good start and retained the lead, defending from Hamilton, who managed to overtake Leclerc. The latter locked up heavily and dropped to fourth position, as Kimi Antonelli also took advantage of the Monegasque's struggles to move up into third. Disaster for Bearman, who was forced to retire after an excellent race on the fringes of the points.
While Leclerc struggled on as he tried to defend from Lando Norris, another Safety Car was deployed following an accident between Lindblad and Piastri, with the Briton forced to retire. At the restart, Verstappen once again held onto the lead, while the positions behind him also remained unchanged. The final laps were heart-stopping, but the chequered flag left no doubt. Max Verstappen wins the Mexico GP, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli who, in tears, celebrates his first world title, achieved after an incredible season for a young man who, through dedication and extraordinary talent, has managed to return Italy to the top of the world.
Cover photo by Finlay Williams / WHYOUT images
The full classification follows
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Mexican GP 2026
