Mexico City GP: Antonelli can clinch the F1 title as Hamilton starts from pole
Kimi Antonelli needs just two points on November 1, 2026 to become F1 champion. Hamilton is on pole, Verstappen has a penalty and Lawson starts last.
The essentials: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli can win his first Formula 1 drivers’ title at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, November 1, 2026. He leads team-mate George Russell by 123 points and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 124, so ninth place would be enough, Sky Sports reports. He starts fourth, while Hamilton took his first pole for Ferrari. The race starts at 2pm local time, 8pm in the UK.
What does Antonelli need to be champion on Sunday?
Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are already out of the title fight. Only Russell and Hamilton can still stop Antonelli, and Sky Sports says one of them “would need to win all five remaining races and for Antonelli to fail to score two points.”
| Scenario in Mexico City | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Antonelli finishes ninth or higher | He is champion |
| Neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the race | He is champion, whatever his own result |
| Russell outscores him by 24 points, or Hamilton by 25 | The fight moves on to Brazil |
Sources: Sky Sports, ESPN.
After Mexico City, four races remain: Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with a maximum of 100 points available, according to Sky Sports.
Mercedes could also move closer to the constructors’ title. The team leads Ferrari by 133 points, with 172 available after Sunday, so it would have to outscore Ferrari by 39 points in Mexico City to settle that championship as well.
Why does Hamilton’s pole stand out?
Hamilton set a lap of 1:16.514, just 0.009 seconds quicker than Russell, dpa reports. It was the 105th pole of his career and his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he was still at Mercedes. ESPN adds that, at 41, he is the oldest pole-sitter since Mario Andretti in 1982.
It is also the first pole Ferrari has taken this season. “Thank you so much, it has been such a long time coming,” Hamilton told his team on the radio, according to ESPN. Leclerc, who starts third in the second Ferrari, was less pleased with his own lap. “Just didn’t do the job when I needed to,” he said, quoted by dpa.
Why was Liam Lawson disqualified?
The Racing Bulls driver qualified eighth, but the stewards then removed him from the results for a technical breach involving the car’s MGU-K, the electric motor of the power unit.
The FIA’s technical delegate reported that power demand and electrical power “were reduced at greater rates than what is permitted by the Regulations” just after the line at the end of his fastest Q2 lap. In short, Lawson did not lift off the power immediately, according to the stewards’ decision published by Formula 1.
The team reported the problem itself. The stewards noted that fact, but said precedents required them to disqualify a car that does not comply with the Technical Regulations. Lawson will start from the back of the grid.
Why was Verstappen given a grid penalty?
Verstappen and Lawson collided during second practice on Friday, after Verstappen tried to pass on the inside at Turn 12 and the pair ran side by side before making contact at Turn 14. Debris from Verstappen’s car caused a red flag, Sky Sports reports.
The stewards found that both drivers had behaved in an “unacceptable” way and gave each a one-place grid penalty rather than a formal warning, citing similar incidents in practice sessions this year. Verstappen qualified fourth and drops to fifth, which promotes Antonelli to fourth.
The Dutch driver was critical of Lawson before the verdict. “Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there,” he said, quoted by Sky Sports.
What does the starting grid look like?
| Grid | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
Source: The Race, provisional grid after penalties.
Further back, Oscar Piastri starts 12th in the second McLaren, and Sergio Pérez 20th for Cadillac in front of his home crowd. His team-mate Valtteri Bottas is 21st after a 50-place penalty for fresh engine components, and Lawson is 22nd and last.
For Antonelli, the starting position leaves a comfortable margin: he can lose five places and still be champion, even if Russell or Hamilton wins.
This article was prepared with the help of AI tools from the sources listed above, then reviewed by our editors before publication. Read our editorial policy
