Mexico City GP 2026: Verstappen wins red-flagged race by 0.799s as Hamilton finishes second
Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton by 0.799s in a Mexico City race featuring a red flag, three safety interventions and a disputed Leclerc penalty.
Max Verstappen won the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, crossing the line 0.799 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in a race that ran just after 04:00 on Monday, Malaysia time. It was a chaotic afternoon in Mexico: a Virtual Safety Car, a heavy crash that brought out the red flag, a standing restart and a late safety car all shaped the result. Kimi Antonelli finished third for Mercedes, enough to seal the world championship (covered in a separate story).
How the race unfolded
Hamilton started from pole position alongside George Russell, with Charles Leclerc and Antonelli on the second row and Verstappen fifth after a one-place grid penalty for his practice collision with Liam Lawson. The leaders started on soft tyres, while Verstappen went for mediums.
The opening lap set the tone. Hamilton and Leclerc ran side by side through the first sequence of corners, and when Leclerc went around the outside into Turn 4 both Ferraris left the track, with Leclerc emerging in front across the grass. Verstappen took advantage to pass Hamilton. Behind them, Russell tipped Isack Hadjar into a spin at Turn 6 and later served a 10-second penalty.
Lance Stroll stopped at Turn 6 on lap 7 to trigger a short Virtual Safety Car. The first round of pit stops came around laps 26 to 28, and Antonelli, the last driver to change tyres, briefly led before stopping on lap 43.
Red flag after Bottas crash
On lap 44 Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily into the barriers at Turn 1 after an apparent front-left suspension failure on his Cadillac. He climbed out unaided and was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks. Barrier repairs meant the safety car was upgraded to a red flag, with the counter showing lap 46.
The race resumed with a standing start and every car on fresh tyres. Verstappen led from Leclerc, with Hamilton third and Antonelli fourth. Hamilton set the race's fastest lap, a 1:19.268 on lap 49.
A second safety car followed on lap 59 when Arvid Lindblad hit the wall after contact with Oscar Piastri in a fight for seventh. Verstappen got away cleanly at the final restart with eight laps left and held Hamilton off to the flag for his third win of the season and a sixth victory in Mexico City.
The Leclerc penalty row
Leclerc received a five-second time penalty for gaining his opening-lap lead off track. The stewards said the usual sanction would be 10 seconds but reduced it because Hamilton had also left the circuit. Leclerc served it and finished fourth, also struggling after a big flat spot at the restart. Hamilton was unhappy on the radio, saying the decision was "basically handing Charles this win", and Verstappen also questioned why the penalty was not 10 seconds.
Top 10 after post-race penalties
The stewards then penalised Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly after the chequered flag, which reshuffled the lower points places. The revised top 10:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +0.799s
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), +4.006s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +10.707s
- Lando Norris (McLaren), +11.778s
- George Russell (Mercedes), +12.263s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Ryo Hirakawa (Haas)
Bottas, Lindblad, Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman did not finish. Bearman retired after contact with Nico Hulkenberg, who was given a 10-second penalty.
Key takeaways
- Verstappen beat Hamilton by 0.799s for his third win of 2026, starting fifth on medium tyres.
- A red flag for Bottas's Turn 1 crash led to a standing restart with 26 laps remaining.
- Leclerc's five-second penalty for his opening-lap move left Ferrari frustrated; he finished fourth.
- Antonelli's third place was enough to clinch the drivers' title.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix? Max Verstappen of Red Bull won, 0.799 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli third.
Why was the Mexico City GP red-flagged? Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily at Turn 1 after a suspected suspension failure, and the barrier needed repairs. Bottas was checked at the medical centre as a precaution.
Why did Charles Leclerc get a penalty? He took the lead on lap one after both he and Hamilton ran off track at Turn 4. Stewards gave him five seconds rather than 10 because Hamilton also went off.
Sources: Formula1.com, Sky Sports, PlanetF1, GrandPrix.com, Grande Premio