What F1 learned in Mexico: Antonelli’s title, Ferrari’s trust crisis and a flawed speed cap

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was crowned F1’s 2026 champion in Mexico after a season of devastating speed, remarkable consistency and almost no controversy. Verstappen said he was “proud”; Hamilton was “so grateful” to witness it; Norris said Antonelli had “made everyone look silly.” Even Mercedes team-mate George Russell acknowledged the better job.

Why it matters:

Antonelli gives F1 a popular new champion. Mexico also exposed unresolved problems: Ferrari’s driver-management failure, a 2026 energy rule that stifles overtaking and a safety question at Cadillac.

The details:

• Ferrari’s trust crisis cost it a likely 1-2. Leclerc attacked Hamilton on lap one; both outbraked themselves and Verstappen pounced. Hamilton called the mentality “do or die”; Fred Vasseur sounded exasperated.
• F1 escaped an awkward winner. Leclerc cut the track to take the lead, yet his penalty did not drop him behind the driver he passed. A position swap would have been the cleaner fix; corner reprofiling is under discussion.
• Norris and Hamilton criticised the circuit-specific power restriction that caps speed at the end of straights. “It kind of ruins racing,” Norris said.
• McLaren’s Saturday weakness returned: Norris qualified sixth, and Piastri’s Baku third is its only recent top-three grid slot. Andrea Stella said the car is better than P6/P13.
• Bottas’s Turn 1 suspension failure deepened Cadillac’s safety concerns after Perez’s Montreal issue. He was OK; the team promised a full investigation.
• Hirakawa scored on a late-call debut, passing both Williams cars and setting his best lap on the final tour.
• Aston Martin’s ERS cooling failed under Mexico’s altitude, causing a double DNF.

What's next:

Brazil follows with Antonelli’s title settled but major technical and operational questions still open. Ferrari must impose order, McLaren must fix qualifying, and the FIA faces pressure to improve the 2026 racing product.