Antonelli crowned F1 champion in Mexico as Verstappen wins amid Ferrari drama

The Mexican Grand Prix got off to an explosive start, with a dramatic opening lap featuring a fierce battle between the two Ferraris, a collision involving George Russell and Isack Hadjar, and two five-second penalties that immediately shook up the race.

Lewis Hamilton initially held on to the lead into Turn 1, resisting an attack from teammate Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque then attempted to go around the outside at Turn 3, but ran onto the grass and cut the chicane. Leclerc emerged ahead of Hamilton, while Max Verstappen took advantage of the confusion to move between the two Ferrari drivers.

Leclerc subsequently found himself in a difficult position, as returning the place to Hamilton would also have meant surrendering a position to Verstappen. Nevertheless, the stewards handed the Ferrari driver a five-second time penalty for the incident.

Hamilton was far from satisfied with the stewards' decision, expressing his frustration over team radio and accusing the officials of effectively handing Leclerc the victory. The seven-time world champion also referred to an agreement reached during the drivers' briefing, suggesting that the handling of the incident went against what was discussed before the race.

His frustration was compounded by Leclerc's ability to extend his advantage at the front despite receiving a five-second penalty. Running in clean air, the Monegasque managed to establish a gap of more than five seconds over Verstappen, effectively neutralising the punishment while Hamilton remained third, unable to recover the position he lost during the opening-lap controversy.

The opening lap also proved costly for Russell, whose front-left tyre made contact with Hadjar's rear-right, sending the Racing Bulls driver into a spin and dropping him to the back of the field. The Mercedes driver was subsequently given a five-second penalty for causing the collision.

Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli made an important move in the championship battle by overtaking his teammate, putting himself firmly on course to secure his maiden F1 title.

The race was brought to a halt on lap 46 following a heavy crash involving Valtteri Bottas. The Cadillac driver suffered a left suspension failure under braking for Turn 1, sending him into the barriers at high speed. The impact caused significant damage to the barriers, forcing race control to red-flag the race while marshals recovered the car and carried out repairs.

Bottas remained inside the cockpit for several minutes following the accident before eventually climbing out of the car unaided. Cadillac subsequently confirmed that the Finn was responsive over the team radio and was taken to the Medical Centre for further precautionary assessments.

Shortly before the red flag, Antonelli took advantage of the Safety Car period to move ahead of Hamilton into third place. However, race control decided to restore the running order to what it was before the interruption, meaning Hamilton restarted in third place, with Antonelli dropping back to fourth.

Hamilton made an excellent getaway at the restart, reclaiming the position from Leclerc and immediately putting his Ferrari teammate under pressure. Leclerc, meanwhile, suffered a major flat spot under braking for Turn 1, allowing Antonelli to move ahead before finding himself defending against Norris.

After coming under intense pressure from Hamilton in the opening laps following the restart, Verstappen eventually managed to extend his advantage beyond one second, moving out of DRS range and putting himself in a much safer position against any potential attacks from the Briton. Antonelli, meanwhile, consolidated third place.

Another incident followed shortly afterwards, as Oscar Piastri made contact with the rear of Arvid Lindblad's car, sending the Racing Bulls driver into the barriers and triggering another Safety Car period. At the subsequent restart, Verstappen once again held firm at the front, successfully fending off any potential attacks to retain the lead.

Verstappen therefore secured his third victory of the season, with Hamilton crossing the line in second place. However, the biggest celebrations belonged to Antonelli, who finally clinched his maiden Formula 1 title, becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history and bringing Italy back to the top of the F1 world for the first time since Alberto Ascari in 1953.