Mexico - Race

All that Kimi Antonelli needed to do in Mexico to ensure that he won the World Championship was to finish ninth or higher. With him scoring the two points that came with the finishing position, he would have reached a total that would be impossible to match by any other driver on the grid. That was why, just as had been the case in Austin, all eyes were on him, despite the fact that he was not starting from the front row. 

The race start was chaotic for many drivers. Charles Leclerc quickly overtook George Russell to move into P2. From then, as Verstappen overtook the two Mercedes to find himself third, the Monegasque began attacking his teammate. The intra-team fight led to contact that sent Lewis Hamilton off track, making him fall behind Verstappen, and saw Leclerc cutting through the grass to move into the lead. The incident between the two Ferraris was noted, and Leclerc was ultimately given a five-second penalty. This was a punishment that Hamilton didn't believe to be adequate, as leading the race and driving in clear air had helped his teammate move away from the drivers behind him, creating a gap larger than his penalty. 

The first few laps also came with issues for various other drivers.  Soon after the Ferrari incident, Isack Hadjar spun out, causing a quick yellow flag to flash over the track. His accident was caused by George Russell, who consequently received a 10-second penalty. On lap six, Fernando Alonso was told to box to retire his car, and a lap later his Aston Martin teammate was ordered to stop the car immediately. Lance Stroll couldn't get his car back to the pits and had to leave it by the circuit, bringing out the race's first virtual safety car. It ended on lap eight and did not have a significant impact on the race, as it appeared too early for the drivers to consider it a good opportunity for a change of tires. 

Both Leclerc, the race leader, and Verstappen, the man behind him, pitted on lap 27, and as the former was serving his penalty, the latter managed to overtake him. Naturally, they both moved down in the order, putting Hamilton at the very front of the pack, until his pit stop a lap later. Antonelli emerged as the new leader. Meanwhile, his teammate pitted on lap 34 and tumbled down the order as he served his ten-second penalty. 

The fate of the race changed on lap 44, right after Antonelli decided to visit the pits, when Valtteri Bottas' suspension broke at the end of the track's long straight, making his wheel pop off his car. There was nothing the driver could do as he hit one of the barriers. Though he was thankfully unharmed, the incident brought out a full safety car, partially neutralising the race. Some drivers, like Hamilton, jumped at the opportunity to change their tires. This ended up being a bad decision, as a lap later, the damage to the barriers was reassessed, and the race was temporarily stopped. This meant that all the drivers could change their tires "for free", without losing any positions. 

After a significant time was spent repairing the barriers, a standing start was ordered. Hamilton immediately overtook Leclerc for P2, and as the latter was trying to defend, he had a significant lockup that allowed Antonelli to overtake him soon after. This put the Monegasque on the path of Lando Norris, with whom he would end up battling for the remainder of the Grand Prix. 

The last laps of the race weren't too happy for some of the drivers who fought further down the grid. Sergio Perez received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during his teammate's incident, and Nico Hulkenberg was hit with a ten-second one for hitting the car of Oliver Bearman, who was forced to retire from the race. On lap 59, Arvid Lindblad ended up in the wall, causing yet another safety car to appear on track. This one ended on lap 62. 

Although Hamilton spent the last laps trying to attack Verstappen for the lead, he always fell just short of the final move. The Dutchman crossed the finish line first, adding yet another win to his ever-growing collection. Despite that, he was not the driver on whom the attention was focused. As Antonelli crossed the finish line, he officially became the newest and youngest ever Formula One World Champion. In a rather symbolic moment, he got to celebrate his success during a podium ceremony, which he shared with the two previous champions, Hamilton and Verstappen. 

There was one more driver who could be proud of his result. Ryo Hirakawa was called in at the last minute to replace Esteban Ocon in one of Haas' cars. Although it seemed like he did not get to score any points, as both Alpine drivers received post-race penalties for failing to slow under the yellow flags, he moved into P10, officially scoring his first-ever Formula One point. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lewis Hamilton

3. Kimi Antonelli

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Lando Norris

6. George Russell

7. Liam Lawson

8. Gabriel Bortoleto

9. Isack Hadjar

10. Ryo Hirakawa

11. Alex Albon

12. Carlos Sainz

13. Oscar Piastri

14. Nico Hulkenberg

15. Franco Colapinto

16. Sergio Perez

17. Pierre Gasly

DNF: Arvid Lindblad, Oliver Bearman, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso