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Max Verstappen secured his sixth Mexico City Grand Prix victory by fending off Lewis Hamilton following a late safety car restart. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli finished in third place, which was enough to capture the world championship with four grands prix remaining and become the youngest title holder in Formula 1 history, as evaluated by BBC Sport.
Front-Runners and Podium Stars
Max Verstappen earned a 9.5/10 rating after delivering a superb Sunday performance. Starting fifth due to a grid penalty, he capitalized on a mistake by the Ferrari drivers ahead and held off Lewis Hamilton across two restarts to claim his third victory in four events. Lewis Hamilton also received a 9.5/10 following what was arguably his strongest weekend with Ferrari, which included securing the team’s first pole position and setting the fastest lap while pushing Verstappen to the finish.
Kimi Antonelli scored a 9/10 for handling intense pressure magnificently. He managed a strong opening stint on soft tires, executed a decisive overtake on Charles Leclerc following a red flag, and finished on the podium to claim the historic championship. Charles Leclerc was given a 7/10; despite topping Friday practice and qualifying third, costly mistakes—including an off-track pass penalty and a heavy lock-up after the red flag—dropped him off the podium when victory was within reach. Lando Norris achieved a 7.5/10, showing great speed in practice and Q2, but starting sixth left him too much ground to make up despite excellent race pace.
Midfield Battles and Debuts
George Russell picked up a 6/10 rating after missing pole position by a tiny margin of 0.009 seconds, though a spin with Isack Hadjar and a subsequent 10-second penalty ruined a promising day. Liam Lawson earned an impressive 8.5/10 by recovering from a pit lane start following a technical disqualification in qualifying, climbing all the way to seventh after penalties. Gabriel Bortoleto scored a 7/10 by steering clear of trouble in a chaotic race to finish eighth. Isack Hadjar received an 8/10 as his seventh-place grid spot and early race were compromised by Russell, though he recovered well to finish ninth. Ryo Hirakawa impressed with an 8.5/10 on his Formula 1 debut, starting 18th, navigating all race interruptions, and passing both Williams cars before penalties promoted him into the points.
Alex Albon collected a 6/10 for taking 11th—his best result in 13 races—largely aided by other drivers’ penalties. Carlos Sainz scored a 5.5/10 after finishing behind his teammate in another frustrating outing. Oscar Piastri was rated 5/10, as a 10-second penalty for a collision that ended Arvid Lindblad’s race overshadowed his recovery from a shock Q2 exit. Nico Hulkenberg received a 5.5/10 after a race-ending collision with Oliver Bearman at the restart erased his progress from reaching Q3. Franco Colapinto scored a 6.5/10, running eighth before failing to slow down sufficiently for yellow flags cost him 10 seconds and a points finish. Sergio Perez earned a 6.5/10 on his 300th Grand Prix start, making up six positions on the opening lap before a slow pit stop dropped him down the order.
Backmarkers and Retirements
Pierre Gasly was awarded a 5.5/10; despite qualifying ninth and finishing in the points despite power issues, a 30-second penalty for ignoring double-waved yellow flags dropped him to 17th. Arvid Lindblad received an 8/10 for a strong weekend that ended prematurely when McLaren’s Piastri caused a collision that sent him into the barriers. Oliver Bearman scored a 7/10 following a solid recovery from 14th on the grid, though his retirement came through no fault of his own when Hulkenberg hit him. Valtteri Bottas picked up a 5.5/10 after a car failure caused a frightening accident, meaning the DNF did not negatively impact his score. Lance Stroll received a 4.5/10 after a battery problem forced Aston Martin to retire his car after five laps. Fernando Alonso was given a 5.5/10 as an MGU-K failure ruined both his qualifying and his race, forcing an early retirement after five laps.
