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George Russell’s Mexican Grand Prix ended in frustration after a race that began from the front row and quickly unraveled. Russell had qualified second at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, just 0.009 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, who took pole for Ferrari, but an opening-lap energy deployment problem left him short of power and hurt his chance to fight for victory.

Russell also collided with Isack Hadjar on the first lap and received a 10-second penalty, with Hadjar spinning and dropping down the field. Russell held off Lando Norris before a slow pit stop cost him track position, and he finished sixth, earning eight points. The result dropped him from second to fourth in the drivers’ standings.

Russell called the race “very disappointing” and said Mercedes had let him down. Toto Wolff said Mercedes had “completely let George Russell down” and apologized after the race, adding that the team needed to focus on the Constructors’ Championship and the next race in Brazil. Mercedes excused Russell from post-race media duties after Kimi Antonelli clinched the drivers’ title, but Russell also missed the stewards’ hearing, and the team was fined €5,000. Russell congratulated Antonelli before leaving the circuit after Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20.

Haas benched Esteban Ocon for the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend and replaced him with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, who was set to make his Formula 1 debut in Ocon’s car. The team gave no official reason for the move, and Ayao Komatsu said Ocon was not removed because he was sick. The issue reportedly began during Friday practice when Ocon disagreed with a change to his run plan, which involved Haas abandoning a Soft-tire run in FP2. Ocon said there had been a “difference in viewpoints” over the situation and denied allegations of physical altercation or physical violence.

It remained unclear whether Ocon would return later in the season. Ocon is already scheduled to leave Haas at the end of the season, and Haas has already confirmed that Rafael Camara will replace him in 2027.

Hirakawa was unlikely to be available for the Brazilian Grand Prix because it clashed with the World Endurance Championship finale at Monza, leaving Haas to consider other options if Ocon remained unavailable. Jack Doohan was described as the likeliest candidate for Sao Paulo, and Camara was also mentioned as a possible option for Brazil.

Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion at 20 years and 68 days old, clinching the title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix in only his second season. He also became the first Italian Formula 1 world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 and the sport’s 36th different world champion.

Antonelli’s championship run was built on a record-setting start to the season. He won his first Formula 1 race at the Chinese Grand Prix after passing Lewis Hamilton at the start, then won the next five races in succession, becoming the first driver to win his first five races. He also became the youngest polesitter and the youngest driver to lead the Formula 1 championship during the season.

His other victories included the Italian Grand Prix, where he started 19th on the grid, and the Circuit of the Americas race, which he won in a controlled drive that left him needing only two more points to secure the championship in Mexico. Mercedes signed Antonelli to its junior program after Ferrari passed on him, and his path to the top included a childhood attempt to sneak into the paddock at the 2014 German Grand Prix by hiding in a stack of tires. His rookie season also included a crash in practice at Monza in 2024, several mistakes and a damaged car at the British Grand Prix, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called the Circuit of the Americas win his best race.

Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were stripped of their Mexico City Grand Prix points after post-race penalties reshaped the result, and Alpine lost all five points it had scored in the race. Colapinto, who had finished eighth, received a 10-second penalty for failing to slow enough under a single waved yellow flag and dropped to 15th. Gasly, who had finished 10th, was given a stop-and-go penalty converted to 30 seconds for a double yellow flag breach and fell to 17th. Stewards said neither Alpine driver had slowed sufficiently under yellow flags.

The revised classification lifted several drivers into the points. Liam Lawson was promoted to seventh, Gabriel Bortoleto moved up to eighth, Isack Hadjar rose to ninth and Ryo Hirakawa was classified 10th, giving him a point on his Formula 1 debut. Oscar Piastri also received a separate 10-second penalty for his clash with Arvid Lindblad and dropped out of the points.

The penalty blow left Alpine sixth in the constructors’ standings on 69 points.