F1 Mexico GP: Kimi Antonelli secures the world championship while Max Verstappen fends off Lewis Hamilton to take the win.

Kimi Antonelli has made history by becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 at the Mexico Grand Prix, where Red Bull's Max Verstappen triumphed over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton to clinch the race win.

Verstappen took command of the race during the only pitstop on lap 28 of 71, overtaking early leader Charles Leclerc, and he successfully defended against Leclerc's teammate Hamilton to secure victory, while Antonelli celebrated his first F1 title with a third-place finish.

With neither Russell nor Hamilton securing the win, Antonelli's result was of little consequence, but he demonstrated his composure throughout the season, showcasing a controlled performance as he overtook Leclerc in the latter stages of the race.

At the outset, polesitter Hamilton faced a challenge for the lead from Leclerc into Turn 2 and again toward Turn 4-5. Leclerc went wide to pass his teammate, causing Hamilton to lose momentum and drop to third behind Verstappen, who capitalized on the intra-team battle to snatch second place.

"I got pushed off by my own teammate," lamented Hamilton, while Verstappen was also urging Leclerc to return the position. The Monegasque only received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, which was considered lenient by both Verstappen and his teammate: "He's got clean air, he doesn't have to manage like the rest of us," Hamilton pointed out.

In the background, the second Red Bull, driven by Isack Hadjar, was forced off by a sluggish-starting George Russell, who had dropped from second to sixth and received a 10-second time penalty.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

To Hamilton's observation, Leclerc quickly established a five-second lead over second-placed Verstappen - the only frontrunner starting on medium tires instead of softs. Hamilton trailed by a few more seconds ahead of the two Mercedes and the two McLaren cars. A strong start from Oscar Piastri saw him rise from a disappointing 12th position on the grid to seventh, seven seconds behind the leading pack.

Leclerc and Verstappen both pitted on lap 28 for their only pitstop, with Leclerc switching to mediums and Verstappen opting for softs. Thanks to Leclerc's additional five-second hold, Verstappen was able to overtake the Ferrari in the pits and take the lead in the race, albeit on the more fragile tire compound.

"We basically need one of your magic Mexico stints," declared Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, as Hamilton's subsequent lap response with mediums dropped the leading trio to fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

This allowed Antonelli a brief moment in clear air ahead of Russell and Lando Norris, as Mercedes had no real strategic options to contend for the win - not that Antonelli would have minded while on course for the title.

Antonelli was the last of that trio to enter the pits by lap 44, well past the halfway point of the 71-lap race, showcasing that Red Bull had little to fear regarding the soft tire's durability.

However, just as Antonelli made his pit stop, relinquishing the chance for a fortunate safety car, Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac struck the wall at Turn 1 due to a left-front suspension failure, resulting in not just a safety car but also a red flag. Bottas was taken to the medical center for precautionary checks and was released without injuries.

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing crash

After a nearly 40-minute delay for barrier repairs, the race resumed with a standard restart, featuring Verstappen leading from Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris, Russell, and Piastri - all on a set of soft tires. At the lap 47 restart, Verstappen had to defend against Hamilton, who made an impressive launch off the line to overtake Leclerc for second place.

As Leclerc locked up at Turn 1, Verstappen resisted Hamilton's advances through Mexico's first sector, the primary overtaking zone. Nevertheless, Hamilton remained relentless, continually applying pressure on the leading Red Bull.

Antonelli was eager to celebrate his title success on the Foro Sol podium and made a bold move past Leclerc for third at Turn 1 on lap 48. Suffering from a flat spot due to his earlier lock-up, Leclerc's troubles compounded as he was pressured by Norris in the fight for fourth.

The race took another unexpected turn when Arvid Lindblad crashed out of seventh place after colliding with Piastri, prompting another safety car.

This reset provided Hamilton, who had been falling out of Verstappen's slipstream, another opportunity to wrestle the win from his longtime rival when racing resumed on lap 65.

But despite relentlessly pursuing Verstappen lap after lap, Hamilton ran out of options and had to settle for second as Verstappen took his third grand prix win of the season, and his third in four races.

A tearful Antonelli crossed the finish line in third to revel in his drivers' world championship, surpassing Sebastian Vettel's age record by a full three years at just 20 years old.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Leclerc held onto fourth ahead of Norris, Russell, and Piastri. Franco Colapinto claimed eighth as the best of the rest, while Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.

In addition to retirements for Lindblad and Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman exited with suspension damage after being taken out by Nico Hulkenberg at Turn 4 during the restart.

The two Aston Martins endured another challenging campaign as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were forced to retire after just seven laps due to new Honda power unit issues.