This year’s Mexico Grand Prix will be remembered as Kimi Antonelli’s crowning moment. But as memorable as those post-race celebrations were, they mustn't detract from the enthralling race that got us there. Here are Living Sports’ winners and losers from the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix.
He may have arrived in Mexico with one hand on the trophy, but that didn’t stop Kimi Antonelli from displaying the same maturity and patience that have underpinned his entire season. Starting fourth, Antonelli avoided the chaos around him, passed Charles Leclerc for third in a well-timed move and secured his 16th podium of the season. More than enough to make him the youngest-ever world champion. Antonelli’s composed run to third was an apt distillation of what has been a historic breakout season.
Having started this weekend as the odds-on favourite for victory, second and fourth can only be considered a disappointment. After securing first and third in qualifying, the Scuderia briefly ran first and second thanks to a good getaway from Charles Leclerc. However, a desperate lunge around the outside of his teammate Lewis Hamilton at turn four sent Leclerc onto the grass, while Hamilton himself ran off track. Max Verstappen snuck past and ended Ferrari’s hopes of victory. Having seen both his drivers come to blows multiple times this season, Fred Vasseur has some major thinking to do if similar skirmishes are to be avoided in the future.
After struggling throughout practice and taking a one-place grid penalty for qualifying, starting only fifth, Max Verstappen came alive in the race. He may have benefitted from the two Ferraris tripping over each other, but after taking the net race lead on lap 28, the four-time world champion was virtually flawless. Verstappen expertly managed the gaps behind, didn’t flinch in the face of the safety cars or red flag and resisted stern pressure from Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to seal win number 74. Having struggled to make the podium, let alone win in the early part of the season, Red Bull has come a long way. Should this momentum carry over into 2027, Verstappen will be a serious contender for the world title.
An admittedly harsh entrant, as he never got the chance to compete, but with Haas having confirmed that Esteban Ocon will not contest the remainder of the season, we have likely seen the last of the one-time race winner in Formula 1. After handing his car over to Haas reserve Ryo Hirakawa in FP1, Ocon returned for FP2, only to clash with the pit wall over tyre allocations. After being abruptly sidelined for the remainder of the weekend, Ocon’s departure is now final. A sad end to an eventful ten-year career.
Ocon’s loss was Hirakawa’s gain. Having completed FP1, the Haas reserve was at least partially prepared for his unexpected F1 debut. An unremarkable display in qualifying yielded 19th on the grid. Hirakawa stayed out of trouble in the race, overtook both Williams in the closing stages and crossed the line a respectable 13th. Post-race penalties for Oscar Piastri as well as the two Alpines elevated Hirakawa to tenth, earning him a maiden Formula 1 point at the very first time of asking. With the World Endurance Championship up for grabs at this week’s 6 Hours of Monza, Hirakawa will return to his role as part of Toyota’s Hypercar squad, having put in a solid performance at very short notice in Mexico.
After missing out on Q3 for the first time since his rookie season, Oscar Piastri was on course for a respectable recovery in the race. The McLaren driver made his way into seventh but got away slowly at the final restart. That led to a late-race collision with Arvid Lindblad at turn one that forced the Racing Bulls driver out of the race and resulted in a post-race ten-second time penalty that dropped Piastri out of the points. Yet another disappointing entry in what has been a difficult season for the nine-time race winner.
