Ferrari handed Max Verstappen a gift-wrapped win in Mexico, squandering a dominant 1-2 when Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's infighting boiled over. Leclerc earned a five-second penalty for chopping across track mid-battle, letting Verstappen through from fifth on the grid. Red Bull's pit crew cycled him ahead during the penalty service.
The race crowned Kimi Antonelli F1's youngest world champion, though the title was wrapped a week earlier in Austin. Antonelli still attacked late, diving inside Leclerc for the podium rather than settling for ceremonial fourth — the calculated aggression that defined his championship.
George Russell's challenge died at the start when a deployment failure cost him the jump, then a clipping penalty for contact with Isack Hadjar buried him further. Post-race penalties shuffled three original top-10 finishers out of the points.
Ferrari's pace is real. Whether this driver pairing survives into 2027 is the bigger question.
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