Mexico City GP ratings: Antonelli seals the title as Verstappen and Hamilton shine

Kimi Antonelli sealed his maiden world championship with a measured third place in Mexico City, becoming F1's youngest-ever title-winner. Max Verstappen won for the third time this season, while Lewis Hamilton turned pole into second.

Why it matters:

Antonelli's crown arrives in only his second full season, and the manner of it says as much about his temperament as his speed — a clean pass on Charles Leclerc into Turn 1 at the restart, then a long afternoon managing pressure and fading visibility. Mercedes now has a champion to build its next era around.

The details:

• Verstappen (9) started fifth after a grid penalty, ran the only medium-tyre opening stint among the leaders and timed his stop perfectly to profit from Ferrari's first-lap squabble.
• Hamilton (9) topped qualifying and kept Verstappen honest for long stretches, salvaging a notable weekend for Maranello.
• Antonelli (8.5) made the decisive move of his season at Turn 1, then held station despite losing time to poor visibility late on.
• Hirakawa (8.5) scored points on his Haas debut after a late call-up, promoted to 10th post-race.
• Lawson (8.5) fought from a pit-lane start, having been disqualified from qualifying, to finish in the points.

At the other end, Colapinto and Gasly both lost points finishes to yellow-flag penalties, wasting Alpine's strongest weekend of the year. Piastri followed a shock Q2 exit with a 10-second penalty for contact with Arvid Lindblad, and Stroll retired on lap seven without explanation.

What's next:

The drivers' title is settled, but the constructors' fight and the scrap for seats behind Antonelli — Lawson's audition included — remain wide open with rounds still to run.