Verstappen’s Medium–Soft–Soft route beat Hamilton’s chase, while Antonelli’s long opening stint delivered third and the title. The neutralisations changed the value of the pre-race one-stop.

The interruption changed the winning plan

Verstappen moved from Mediums to Softs on lap 27. After 18 laps on C5, the red flag offered another tyre change. Pirelli judged a one-stop quickest without neutralisations; the interruption changed that comparison.

Hamilton chased with a different tyre history

Hamilton started Soft–Medium, fitted Softs under the Safety Car and used another previously run Soft set after the red flag. The final duel depended on tyre history as well as compound choice: both cars being on Softs did not make their strategies identical.

Sunday rewarded the softer compounds

Antonelli kept Softs for 43 laps with limited degradation. Pirelli reported no significant graining, similar Soft/Medium degradation and no Hard performance advantage. That evidence supported softer-tyre durability, even as neutralisations reshaped the race tactics.

Race · the on-track evidence

The strategy in numbers

Session ended Nov 1, 2026, 10:23 PM UTC

The winning margin

Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton by 0.799s over 71 laps. Lewis Hamilton started P1 and finished second.

Where the lead was settled

Max Verstappen took the lead for the final time around lap 44. The recorded leadership sequence was Lewis Hamilton → Charles Leclerc → Lewis Hamilton → Kimi Antonelli → Max Verstappen. Temporary leads during pit stops are included.

The winning tyre plan

Max Verstappen, P1: medium (laps 1–27) → soft (laps 28–45) → soft (laps 46–71). Pit-lane visits were recorded on laps 27, 45.

How Lewis Hamilton challenged

Lewis Hamilton, P2: soft (laps 1–28) → medium (laps 29–44) → soft (laps 45–45) → soft (laps 46–71). Pit-lane visits were recorded on laps 28, 44, 45.

How Andrea Kimi Antonelli challenged

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, P3: soft (laps 1–43) → medium (laps 44–45) → soft (laps 46–71). Pit-lane visits were recorded on laps 1, 43, 45.

Interruptions and penalties

Lap 12: FIA STEWARDS: 5 SECOND TIME PENALTY FOR CAR 16 (LEC) - LEAVING THE TRACK AND GAINING AN ADVANTAGE (14:03:57) · Lap 13: FIA STEWARDS: 10 SECOND TIME PENALTY FOR CAR 63 (RUS) - CAUSING A COLLISION (14:04:08) · Lap 30: FIA STEWARDS: PENALTY SERVED - 5 SECOND TIME PENALTY FOR CAR 16 (LEC) (14:03:57) · Lap 37: FIA STEWARDS: PENALTY SERVED - 10 SECOND TIME PENALTY FOR CAR 63 (RUS) - CAUSING A COLLISION (14:04:08) · Lap 44: SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED

The podium

Grid to finish

+13 places

Liam Lawson
P22 → P9

Largest gain among classified finishers with a recorded grid position. This is not a count of overtakes.

Team points

The biggest Grand Prix hauls

Ferrari30 pts
Red Bull25 pts
Mercedes23 pts

This Grand Prix only. Sprint points and championship adjustments are separate.

Pirelli · Mexico 2026 race analysis ↗OpenF1 · session timing ↗OpenF1 · session timing ↗OpenF1 · session timing ↗OpenF1 · session timing ↗OpenF1 · session timing ↗Grand Prix classification ↗

Before the race

The pre-race projection

Grand Prix projections

Top 10 projected race finishers

Each Pn is the projected Grand Prix finishing rank at that stage.

Ordering: Post-Qualifying · Published Nov 1, 2026, 10:26 PM UTC

Provisional grid · Penalties and pit-lane starts are not confirmed.

Comparable long-run practice coverage is incomplete; session order supplies the fallback. Fuel loads remain unknown.

Top ten projected Grand Prix finish comparison for Mexico City Grand Prix. Rows follow the Post-Qualifying forecast.
Driver	Post-QualifyingProvisional grid	Post-PracticeThrough FP3	Pre-WeekendOriginal field
01Lewis Hamilton	P1	P6	P4
02Charles Leclerc	P2	P1	P2
03George Russell	P3	P4	P5
04Max Verstappen	P4	P3	P3
05Andrea Kimi Antonelli	P5	P2	P1
06Lando Norris	P6	P5	P6
07Isack Hadjar	P7	P8	P8
08Liam Lawson	P8	P9	P9
09Arvid Lindblad	P9	P10	P10
10Pierre Gasly	P10	P11	P11

Championship & circuit

Championship consequence

Points explained ↗

After the classified Grand Prix. Official standings through round 18, updated with verified classified points from this event.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has clinched the drivers’ title.

Drivers still within reach of the championship on the verified schedule
Driver	Points	Gap	Maximum final points
Andrea Kimi AntonelliChampion	380	0	480

These are mathematical possibilities, not title probabilities. Ties use countback. Scoring rules ↗

FIA 2026 scoring and countback · A2.1.4 / A2.2 ↗Jun 25, 2026Season calendar, including Sprint declarations ↗Official driver standings through round 18 ↗2026:rodriguez race classification ↗2026:rodriguez qualifying classification ↗

What the recent circuit record shows

3 of 5 recorded winners started on pole, across 5 Grands Prix (2025, 2024, 2023, 2017, 2016).

Sprints excluded. Earlier races may use different layouts and rules.

Circuit results & guide ↗

Session results

Full classifications

Race classification

Final

Race classification, Final
Position	Driver	Constructor	Start grid	Laps	Status	Points
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	5	71	Finished	25
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1	71	Finished	18
3	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	4	71	Finished	15
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	3	71	Finished	12
5	Lando Norris	McLaren	6	71	Finished	10
6	George Russell	Mercedes	2	71	Finished	8
7	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	12	71	Finished	6
8	Franco Colapinto	Alpine F1 Team	11	71	Finished	4
9	Liam Lawson	RB F1 Team	22	71	Finished	2
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	9	71	Finished	1
11	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	13	71	Finished	0
12	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	7	71	Finished	0
13	Ryo Hirakawa	Haas F1 Team	18	71	Finished	0
14	Alexander Albon	Williams	16	71	Finished	0
15	Carlos Sainz	Williams	15	71	Finished	0
16	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	10	71	Finished	0
17	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac F1 Team	20	71	Finished	0
R	Arvid Lindblad	RB F1 Team	8	58	Retired	0
R	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	14	47	Retired	0
R	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac F1 Team	21	42	Retired	0
R	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	19	5	Retired	0
R	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	17	5	Retired	0

Starting grid, race status and points for this classification.

Retrieved Nov 2, 2026, 02:00 AM UTC

Race classification source ↗

Qualifying classification

Corrected

Qualifying classification, Corrected
Position	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:17.341	1:16.953	1:16.514
2	George Russell	Mercedes	1:17.659	1:17.027	1:16.523
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:17.506	1:16.944	1:16.633
4	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:17.942	1:16.876	1:16.692
5	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:17.918	1:17.133	1:16.707
6	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:17.733	1:16.728	1:16.824
7	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:17.385	1:17.047	1:16.900
8	Arvid Lindblad	RB F1 Team	1:18.210	1:17.135	1:17.117
9	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	1:18.194	1:17.278	1:17.153
10	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	1:17.868	1:17.306	—
11	Franco Colapinto	Alpine F1 Team	1:18.517	1:17.640	—
12	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:17.659	1:17.646	—
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:17.727	1:17.680	—
14	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:18.083	1:18.083	—
15	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:18.521	1:18.885	—
16	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:18.630	—	—
17	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:18.908	—	—
18	Ryo Hirakawa	Haas F1 Team	1:18.958	—	—
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:19.072	—	—
20	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac F1 Team	1:19.105	—	—
21	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac F1 Team	1:19.852	—	—
DQ	Liam Lawson	RB F1 Team	—	1:17.207	1:17.029

Qualifying order; starting-grid penalties may change the grid.

Retrieved Nov 1, 2026, 08:23 PM UTC

Qualifying classification source ↗

Practice 3 classification

Final

Practice 3 classification, Final
Position	Driver	Constructor	Best lap	Laps	Status
1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:17.600	26	Classified
2	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:17.601	24	Classified
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:17.717	21	Classified
4	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:17.795	20	Classified
5	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:17.951	21	Classified
6	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:18.069	18	Classified
7	George Russell	Mercedes	1:18.107	27	Classified
8	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:18.109	19	Classified
9	Liam Lawson	RB F1 Team	1:18.113	28	Classified
10	Arvid Lindblad	RB F1 Team	1:18.137	29	Classified
11	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	1:18.560	32	Classified
12	Franco Colapinto	Alpine F1 Team	1:18.652	31	Classified
13	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	1:18.674	26	Classified
14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:18.850	25	Classified
15	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:18.927	22	Classified
16	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:19.214	22	Classified
17	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:19.301	26	Classified
18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:19.376	21	Classified
19	Ryo Hirakawa	Haas F1 Team	1:19.504	32	Classified
20	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac F1 Team	1:20.342	22	Classified
21	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	—	2	Classified
22	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac F1 Team	—	1	Classified

Practice order, best recorded lap and lap count.

Retrieved Oct 31, 2026, 07:46 PM UTC

Practice 3 classification source ↗

Practice 2 classification

Final

Practice 2 classification, Final
Position	Driver	Constructor	Best lap	Laps	Status
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:17.827	35	Classified
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:17.930	33	Classified
3	George Russell	Mercedes	1:17.933	31	Classified
4	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:18.044	33	Classified
5	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:18.138	26	Classified
6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:18.237	31	Classified
7	Arvid Lindblad	RB F1 Team	1:18.389	34	Classified
8	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	1:18.407	33	Classified
9	Liam Lawson	RB F1 Team	1:18.455	32	Classified
10	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:18.469	31	Classified
11	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:18.512	13	Classified
12	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:18.596	30	Classified
13	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:18.774	32	Classified
14	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:18.849	32	Classified
15	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	1:19.023	35	Classified
16	Franco Colapinto	Alpine F1 Team	1:19.132	34	Classified
17	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:19.248	28	Classified
18	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac F1 Team	1:19.406	33	Classified
19	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:19.578	31	Classified
20	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:19.631	24	Classified
21	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac F1 Team	1:20.165	33	Classified
22	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:20.174	12	Classified

Practice order, best recorded lap and lap count.

Retrieved Oct 30, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC

Practice 2 classification source ↗

Practice 1 classification

Final

Practice 1 classification, Final
Position	Driver	Constructor	Best lap	Laps	Status
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:18.128	29	Classified
2	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:18.787	30	Classified
3	Frederik Vesti	Mercedes	1:18.861	24	Classified
4	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:18.866	25	Classified
5	Ayumu Iwasa	Red Bull	1:19.113	23	Classified
6	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	1:19.210	33	Classified
7	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:19.357	29	Classified
8	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:19.376	30	Classified
9	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:19.412	28	Classified
10	Arvid Lindblad	RB F1 Team	1:19.478	30	Classified
11	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	1:19.545	21	Classified
12	Nikola Tsolov	RB F1 Team	1:19.604	29	Classified
13	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	1:19.608	27	Classified
14	Gabriele Mini	Alpine F1 Team	1:19.946	22	Classified
15	Ryo Hirakawa	Haas F1 Team	1:19.982	30	Classified
16	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:20.006	31	Classified
17	Leonardo Fornaroli	McLaren	1:20.235	25	Classified
18	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac F1 Team	1:20.395	31	Classified
19	Jak Crawford	Aston Martin	1:20.803	15	Classified
20	Luke Browning	Williams	1:20.869	33	Classified
21	Freddie Slater	Audi	1:20.945	14	Classified
22	Colton Herta	Cadillac F1 Team	1:21.365	30	Classified

Practice order, best recorded lap and lap count.

Retrieved Oct 30, 2026, 08:00 PM UTC

Practice 1 classification source ↗

Explore all 2026 race debriefs and the calendar ↗