The Mexican Grand Prix has been anything but boring as the weekend has progressed. It started with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Valtteri Bottas both missing media day due to illness.

Then came the drama in Free Practice sessions that handed Verstappen and Lawson one-place grid penalties. This didn't matter much for Lawson, who took a new power unit and started from the pit lane. That's not all, as Esteban Ocon left the Mexican Grand Prix under uncertain circumstances and was replaced by Ryu Hirakawa.

The top story of the early part of the weekend, though, was that Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position in Ferrari and his first since 2023. Although after a dramatic race that left Hamilton storming into the back of the Ferrari garage during a red flag, he finished P2.

Max Verstappen ultimately won the race, moving up to P2 in the championship. In another headline, with a race that was anything but 'clean', Kimi Antonelli finished P3 to become the 2026 F1 World Drivers' Champion.

Penalties At the Start

Late last night, the FIA Stewards set a rule for the Mexican Grand Prix that if overtaking off the track occurred in the early turns of the race, the driver must give the position back by Turn 12. As it turns out, the new rule was incredibly relevant.

Lewis Hamilton had a strong launch from pole, as did his Ferrari Teammate, Charles Leclerc, from P3. The drivers battled through the corners, and Charles cut a corner, taking P1 from Lewis, while Max Verstappen took advantage and sat in P2. Charles did not give the position back and was handed a 5-second time penalty.

On the same opening lap, Russell had a very slow start, dropping back to P6. Late in the lap, as he rounded a turn, he tapped the back of Isack Hadjar, sending him spinning. Russell was also handed a penalty of 10 seconds for the second race in a row.

Mid Race Red Flag Shakes up the Field

The field seemed set with Max Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers leading the front of the pack, closely followed by Kimi Antonelli. However, on lap 46, the unthinkable happened to Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac. His front left suspension snapped, sending him hurdling into the TechPro barrier. While Bottas was 'okay' after the crash, the barrier was less so.

A red flag was called just after Lewis Hamilton had pitted under a VSC that was initially called. The drivers restarted in this order: Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Antonelli, with 25 Laps remaining. Technically, Antonelli would have started before Hamilton, but race control decided to restart from the Lap 45 order because Lap 46 was not complete.

On the restart, Hamilton got exactly what he wanted – the spot back from Charles Leclerc that he lost on Lap 1. Further back, Hulkenberg made contact with Bearman, ending Bearman's race. He was handed a 10-second time penalty.

After the restart, there weren't many overtakes until just over 10 laps remained. Piastri and Lindblad collided, sending Lindblad into the wall and out of the race. The collision will be investigated post-race, with a possible penalty for Piastri.

F1 Mexican Grand Prix 2026 Results

F1 Drivers' Championship Standings After the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix

F1 Constructors' Championship Standings After the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix