Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 history at the Mexico City Grand Prix by becoming the championship's youngest-ever world champion. The Mercedes driver finished third, a result sufficient to secure the title after neither George Russell nor Lewis Hamilton won the race.
Max Verstappen took victory for Red Bull after moving ahead of early leader Charles Leclerc during the first pitstop sequence on lap 28 of 71. Hamilton finished second, just 0.799 seconds behind, despite applying sustained pressure to Verstappen during the closing stages.
Hamilton started from pole but lost the lead during an opening-lap fight with Ferrari team-mate Leclerc. Leclerc ran off the track while passing Hamilton and received a five-second penalty. Verstappen took advantage of the battle to move into second, while George Russell dropped down the order and was later given a 10-second penalty after making contact with Isack Hadjar's Red Bull.
Leclerc initially opened a gap at the front, but Verstappen's decision to start on medium tyres helped him during the pitstop phase. Both leaders stopped on lap 28, with Verstappen switching to soft tyres and Leclerc to mediums. Leclerc's penalty allowed Verstappen to emerge ahead and take control.
The race was interrupted after Valtteri Bottas crashed at Turn 1 with a left-front suspension failure. The incident brought out a safety car and then a red flag, with the restart delayed by almost 40 minutes while the barriers were repaired. Bottas was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks and was released without injuries.
Verstappen led Leclerc, Hamilton and Antonelli when racing resumed on lap 47. Hamilton made a strong restart and passed Leclerc for second, but Verstappen resisted his attacks through the opening sector. Antonelli then overtook Leclerc for third on lap 48, keeping himself on course to secure the championship on the podium.
A second safety-car period followed when Arvid Lindblad crashed after an incident involving Oscar Piastri. The restart on lap 65 gave Hamilton another opportunity to challenge Verstappen, but the Ferrari driver could not find a way past. Verstappen claimed his third win of the season and his third victory in four races.
Antonelli crossed the finish line in tears to celebrate the title. Aged 20, he beat Sebastian Vettel's previous record for the youngest world champion by three years.
Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Lando Norris, Russell and Piastri. Franco Colapinto was eighth, followed by Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly, who completed the points-paying positions. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both retired early with Honda power-unit problems, while Oliver Bearman, Bottas and Lindblad were also classified as retirements.
Sources: Autosport.