Sports News Blitz writer Leia Cornall gives a lap-by-lap breakdown of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen takes victory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli makes Formula 1 history by securing his first World Championship title.
Dramatic start sees early contact and retirements
Lap 1/71 - It’s lights out and away we go in Mexico City as it’s time to crown a new champion of the world!
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fight one another for the lead off the line, resulting in light contact that allows Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to climb to P2 (after starting P5) after the first few corners.
George Russell and Isack Hadjar have contact as Russell’s Mercedes loses power, causing Hadjar to spin off track and fall to the back of the pack.
Race Control notes the incident involving Hamilton and Leclerc, as the latter holds the lead after Lap 1, refusing to give the position back to Hamilton after an overtake occurred off track.
Lap 6/71 - Fernando Alonso boxes to retire his Aston Martin as Hadjar makes his way back up through the pack after the lap 1 incident.
One lap later, Alonso’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll pulls off to the side of the track to retire his car, sending the VSC out.
VSC is called in on Lap 8 as McLaren’s Lando Norris gains back the two positions he lost avoiding Russell at the race start. Russell incident is noted as under investigation by race control.
Verstappen takes advantage of Ferrari’s pit stops
Lap 12/71 - Charles Leclerc receives a 5-second time penalty for the incident involving Hamilton at the race start.
Lap 13/71 - George Russell receives a 10-second time penalty for the incident involving Hadjar at the race start.
Lap 27/71 - Leclerc and Verstappen head into the pits, with a 5-second gap between their respective positions as first and second. Leclerc serves his penalty, allowing Red Bull to jump past Leclerc on pit exit, setting Max Verstappen up for net P1. The second Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, pits on lap 28.
Lap 39/71 - McLaren have their second slow pit stop of the race, with Lando Norris receiving a 6.0-second stop after Oscar Piastri had previously received a 5.2-second stop.
Bottas brings out the red flag
Lap 43/71 - Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas has a rough crash into the barriers as his suspension snaps down the back straight, sending the safety car out for a short lap before race control calls a red flag and stops the session.
The marshals work to repair a broken barrier and remove Bottas’ car as all drivers pull into the pit lane and exit their cars during red flag conditions.
Valtteri is out of the car and okay. Race control announces the race will have a standing restart.
MORE BY LEIA CORNALL: Lando Norris’ LN4 Fusion team makes track debut at FIA F3 Testing - Who are the drivers?
Race restart
Lap 47/71 - Hamilton passes team-mate Leclerc on the restart as Max Verstappen holds his line and remains in the lead coming up to Turn 1.
Antonelli and Norris are putting pressure on Leclerc as he flat-spots his soft tyre on the restart, resulting in Kimi Antonelli overtaking Leclerc for the final podium spot. Verstappen leads from Hamilton, Antonelli, Leclerc and Norris.
Lap 48/71 - Haas’ Oliver Bearman pulls into the pits and retires from the Grand Prix after contact with Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg on the restart. Nico Hulkenberg receives a 10-second time penalty for this incident.
Lap 59/71 - McLaren’s Oscar Piastri crashes into VCARB’s Arvid Lindblad after an attempt to overtake him on the outside, sending Lindblad into the gravel. Stewards announce they will investigate this incident after the race.
Verstappen wins as Antonelli makes history
Lap 71/71 - Max Verstappen holds the lead over Lewis Hamilton, winning the Mexico City Grand Prix, making it one of Verstappen's most successful circuits on the F1 calendar.
Kimi Antonelli cements his championship win, making Formula 1 history as the youngest world champion of all time.
