Lewis Hamilton finished second after a race shaped by penalties, contrasting tyre strategies, two Safety Car periods and a red flag at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Antonelli arrived in Mexico with the championship within reach and did enough across a difficult afternoon to seal the title before the final rounds of the season.
Leclerc Takes the Lead as Verstappen Moves Forward
Track temperature reached 47.9°C before the start, with air temperature at 23.4°C.
Verstappen, Lando Norris, Nico Hülkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Ryo Hirakawa and Liam Lawson started on mediums. Most of the remaining field chose soft tyres, with Hamilton, George Russell and Isack Hadjar using scrubbed sets.
Hamilton launched well from pole, but Charles Leclerc immediately applied pressure through the opening sequence.
Leclerc attacked around the inside, ran onto the grass and moved ahead of his team-mate, with the Ferraris also making contact at Turn 4.
Verstappen capitalised soon afterwards and passed Hamilton for second.
By the end of the opening lap, Leclerc led Verstappen by 0.8 seconds, with Hamilton third, Antonelli fourth and Russell fifth.
Penalties Complicate Ferrari and Mercedes
The stewards investigated the opening-lap Ferrari battle before handing Leclerc a five-second penalty for track limits.
Russell was also penalised, receiving 10 seconds for causing a collision with Hadjar.
Before that, both Aston Martins retired with engine-related problems, triggering a Virtual Safety Car on lap seven.
When racing resumed, Leclerc began extending his advantage.
By lap 20, the Ferrari driver was 4.8 seconds clear of Verstappen despite carrying the penalty, with Hamilton still within two seconds of the Red Bull.
Leclerc continued pushing and set the fastest lap on lap 25.
Pit Stops Put Antonelli Into the Lead
The first major pit sequence began on lap 27 when Oscar Piastri stopped.
Leclerc and Verstappen followed on lap 28.
Verstappen switched to softs and rejoined ahead of Leclerc, while the Ferrari driver served his five-second penalty before returning on mediums.
Hamilton stopped one lap later and also moved onto mediums.
That sequence promoted Antonelli into the lead, with Russell second and Norris close behind.
Russell finally stopped on lap 34 and served his 10-second penalty.
Norris remained out until lap 40, when he switched to mediums and returned ahead of Russell.
Antonelli stayed at the front until lap 44, when Mercedes called him in.
That handed the lead back to Verstappen, with Leclerc second and Antonelli third.
Bottas Crash Brings Out the Red Flag
The race changed dramatically on lap 44.
Valtteri Bottas suffered a front-left suspension failure on the main straight, sending his Cadillac into the barriers.
The Safety Car was deployed before the race was stopped under red flags.
At that point Verstappen led Leclerc and Antonelli, with Hamilton fourth, Norris fifth and Russell sixth.
Several drivers, including Hamilton and Russell, had already pitted before the red flag.
Race control subsequently reset the order to the Safety Car sequence, promoting Hamilton to third for the restart.
The race resumed from a standing start on lap 48.
Hamilton Takes Second at the Restart
Hamilton made an excellent launch and immediately passed Leclerc for second.
He also made light contact with Verstappen at Turn 1, but the Red Bull driver retained the lead.
Leclerc locked up heavily and lost momentum, while Antonelli attacked around the outside and moved ahead.
Verstappen was later investigated for an incorrect grid position but escaped without a penalty.
Hamilton remained close.
By lap 49, the gap was around half a second, but Verstappen gradually stretched it beyond one second.
Antonelli stayed within range behind them, knowing a podium would be enough to secure the championship.
Second Safety Car Interrupts the Final Phase
The race was neutralised again on lap 59.
Arvid Lindblad and Piastri made contact, with Lindblad crashing out after the rear-left of his car tangled with the McLaren’s front-right.
The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of lap 62.
Verstappen controlled the restart and maintained the lead, with Hamilton still close behind.
On lap 64, the gap between the pair stood at 0.7 seconds, while Antonelli followed Hamilton by approximately 1.5 seconds.
Norris continued pressuring Leclerc in the closing laps but could not complete a move.
Verstappen Wins, Antonelli Seals the Championship
Verstappen crossed the line first to take victory in Mexico, with Hamilton finishing second.
Antonelli completed the podium in third.
That result was enough to confirm the Mercedes driver as the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion.
At 20 years old, Antonelli became the youngest champion in Formula 1 history.
His title was secured on a weekend where outright victory was never required.
He stayed clear of the opening-lap incidents, led through the first pit cycle, managed the interruptions and kept himself inside the championship position when the race restarted.
Verstappen won the Grand Prix. Antonelli left Mexico with the World Championship.
Watch the 2026 Mexico Grand Prix race highlights here.
