History was made in Mexico City as Kimi Antonelli captured his maiden World Championship title, sealing the crown with four rounds to go by bringing his machine home in third place. The Italian only needed to finish ninth to secure the ultimate prize, but he delivered a mature, controlled drive that culminated in him crying into his helmet as the achievement finally sunk in. Starting his stint on the Soft tyres, he managed them brilliantly beyond 40 laps, and after the red flag reset the field, he calmly picked off Leclerc—who was suffering from a flat-spot—at the restart to lock down the final podium spot alongside Verstappen and Hamilton.
Up front, Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass for Red Bull. Starting as the only front-runner on the mediums, he launched brilliantly off the line, capitalised when Hamilton ran wide, and inherited the lead through the pit stops when Leclerc served a time penalty. Even after a red flag restart and relentless pressure from Hamilton, Verstappen executed a flawless race to take the win, marking his team's third victory in the last four races.
Ferrari once again found themselves wondering how a potential win slipped away despite possessing searing pace. Lewis Hamilton started from pole and Charles Leclerc surged to second, but the pair went wheel-to-wheel and skated wide early on. Leclerc cut across the apex to take the lead, drawing a five-second penalty that ultimately cost him track position during the stops. Things unraveled further for Leclerc at the red flag restart when he locked up and flat-spotted his tyres, allowing Hamilton through. Hamilton fought hard, even bumping wheels with Verstappen, but ultimately had to settle for second place.
George Russell endured a disastrous afternoon on the other side of the Mercedes garage. A bad start and a deployment issue down the straight stripped him of full power heading into Turn 1, dropping him into heavy traffic. Contact with Hadjar earned Russell a 10-second time penalty, forcing him into a recovery drive that ultimately ended in sixth place. Toto Wolff openly admitted that the team failed to give Russell the platform he deserved, pointing to recurring issues that have let the British driver down this season.
Isack Hadjar suffered an equally brutal start to his race when Russell tagged him into a spin on the first lap, dropping the Red Bull driver straight to the back. Despite pitting early under a VSC for mediums and fighting through heavy traffic with strong pace, poor safety car timing and a scrappy second restart made progress punishing. Thanks to post-race penalties, Hadjar salvaged a ninth-place finish to grab some late points from a chaotic weekend.
With the drivers' title now settled by a 20-year-old sensation in just his second season, the paddock turns its focus directly toward Brazil. Mercedes leads the charge to lock up the Constructors' Championship next, leaving everyone to catch their breath after an unforgettable afternoon of racing.
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