Max Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli secured the 2026 Drivers' Championship after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 Nov, making him the youngest champion in the sport's history. The race, won by Max Verstappen with Lewis Hamilton second, was delayed for more than 40 minutes following Valtteri Bottas’s crash. Antonelli’s result left rivals George Russell and Hamilton unable to catch him, ending a 73‑year title drought for Italy. He drives for Mercedes and clinched the title with four races still to run.

Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, edging George Russell by 0.009 seconds for Ferrari's first pole with Hamilton. It is his 105th career pole and first on a grand prix grid since July 2023. Charles Leclerc qualified third, 0.119 seconds back, with Max Verstappen fourth after a one-place grid penalty for a collision with Liam Lawson. Kimi Antonelli starts fourth and needs a ninth-place finish on Sunday to become the youngest Formula One world champion. Oscar Piastri failed to reach the final qualifying session and will start 13th.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren Formula One driver, says the MCL40 is difficult to drive because it reacts sharply to small inputs. He describes the car as sensitive and narrow, requiring a qualifying-style approach through every corner. Piastri says it is faster than after the Austin race but still hard to control. McLaren fitted new front suspension and rear diffuser parts at the most recent United States round, and the team has not yet measured whether they raised the car's performance ceiling. Piastri says development will continue, though a solution may take years.