Kimi Antonelli clinched his first Formula 1 world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history at 20 years and 68 days old. The Mercedes driver finished third behind race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Record-breaking achievement
Antonelli surpassed Sebastian Vettel's previous record for youngest champion by three years and 66 days. He also became the first Italian to win the F1 title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Over team radio on the slowing-down lap, an emotional Antonelli said: "Thank you so much. We did it. We did it."
Race summary
The grand prix was interrupted by a red flag after Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac on lap 45, leading to a 25-lap sprint to the finish. At the restart, Antonelli passed Charles Leclerc and ran in a three-car train with Verstappen and Hamilton, crossing the line less than two seconds apart. Antonelli needed only to avoid trouble to secure the title, with his closest rivals George Russell and Hamilton unable to win the race.
Ferrari tension
The race featured intense intra-team conflict at Ferrari. Leclerc overtook Hamilton on the opening lap by cutting the Turn Four/Five chicane, earning a five-second penalty. Hamilton believed the incident cost Ferrari a potential one-two finish. Leclerc later held off Lando Norris despite a flat spot on his tyre.
Final standings
Top 10: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Lando Norris (McLaren), 6. George Russell (Mercedes), 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
The next race is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos from 6-8 November.
