Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion at 20 years and 68 days after finishing third for the Mercedes team at the Mexico City Grand Prix, which was restarted after a red flag and won by Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
The first Italian champion since 1953 cried tears of joy over the team radio as he crossed the finish line at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. His total advantage is now an undeniable 119 points.
Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari started from pole position and finished second, facing his teammate Charles Leclerc. The day was dramatic, marked by two safety car periods, multiple crashes, and a grueling 33-minute stoppage during the remaining 25 of 71 laps.
Race engineer Peter Bonnington told Antonelli: 'Come on, Kimi. World Champion.' The Italian, whose parents and sister were present, exclaimed: 'We did it, thank you very much,' before being surrounded by the team of mechanics.
The previous youngest champion was Sebastian Vettel of Germany, who won his first title with Red Bull in 2010 at the age of 23 years and 134 days.
Antonelli told the crowd: 'I am speechless. I am trying to process what just happened. It was an incredible season, and sharing this podium with Max and Lewis is truly incredible. And I look forward to new battles in the future.' He added that he felt more pressure this weekend but was very happy they managed it and could now enjoy the rest of the season.
The last Italian champion was Alberto Ascari, which happened 73 years earlier. Antonelli later reported at a press conference: 'On the last lap, I just slowed down because I couldn't see the track. I was starting to feel emotions.' He concluded: 'So it was good that I could bring the win home.'
Leclerc finished fourth, and McLaren's former champion Lando Norris took fifth, while Antonelli's teammate George Russell was only sixth in the race, which he needed to win to keep his chances.
This also meant that Verstappen moved up to second place in the standings, Hamilton to third, and Russell, the pre-season favorite, dropped to fourth place, trailing Antonelli by 130 points.
The Mercedes team scored 630 points in the constructors' standings against Ferrari's 504 points and could win the title in Brazil next week.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren finished seventh, but then received a 10-second penalty for contact and was relegated to 15th place. This initially moved Franco Colapinto to seventh place, and his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly to ninth, but both later lost points due to 10-second penalties for speeding under yellow flags.
After the race penalties, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls moved up to seventh place, Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi to eighth, Isack Hajar of Red Bull to ninth, and Ryō Hirakawa managed to earn a point in his debut for Haas in tenth place.
The race was stopped after a brief use of the safety car on lap 46 of 71 when Valtteri Bottas experienced a front-left suspension failure at high speed on the straight, and his Cadillac uncontrollably crashed into the barriers at the first corner. Bottas received medical attention in the car but then went to the ambulance, giving a thumbs-up while the other participants returned to the pits. He headed to the medical center and was released.
Verstappen led the restart, challenging Hamilton, and Antonelli overtook Leclerc; then another safety car appeared when Linblad and Piastri collided. After this, the field was released to continue the race with nine laps to the finish.
The four-time champion, cleared of the false start charge, held on to the victory, securing his 74th career win and his sixth in Mexico, by a margin of 0.799 seconds, while Antonelli was four seconds behind.
Hamilton, who led from the initial pole position, held the lead for the first time in his career at a full Grand Prix for Ferrari, while Leclerc occupied a spot behind from third on the grid. The Briton held him when they ran side-by-side through the first corners, but Leclerc cut the fourth corner and ran onto the grass during the battle for the lead, after which Verstappen took second place behind Hamilton when Ferrari ran wide.
Hamilton reported over the radio: 'Overtaken by his own teammate.' The stewards handed Leclerc a five-second penalty, but this did little to help Hamilton, who remained behind his teammate after their respective stops on laps 28 and 29, with the Monegasque receiving his penalty.
The seven-time champion stated: 'The problem with the five-second penalty is that he has clean air, and he doesn't need to drive like all of us. He just needs to regain positions.' The stewards noted that neither car could have taken the corner on the track given the speed.
Russell, who started on the front row, had a poor start and dropped to fifth position. The Briton also collided with Hajar, causing Red Bull to be pushed back, and the stewards issued him a 10-second penalty. Hajar pitted for a tire change when the virtual safety car was deployed on lap seven after Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin on the track.
