Verstappen wins dramatic Mexico City GP as Pirelli strategies underpin Antonelli’s historic world title

Max Verstappen claimed victory for Red Bull Racing at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but the spotlight belonged to 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who clinched third place to become the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history.

The high-altitude contest at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez delivered intense pit-wall tactical battles, with official tyre supplier Pirelli playing a central role as compound performance and red-flag timing dictated the race flow.

Verstappen secured his victory through a carefully executed two-stop strategy. Starting on the Medium (yellow-marked) compound, the Dutchman made his first pit stop on lap 27 to fit a set of Soft (red-marked) C5 tyres. When a red flag halted proceedings 18 laps later due to a crash for Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull took full advantage of the stoppage to bolt on another set of Softs, allowing Verstappen to hold off a charging Lewis Hamilton to take the chequered flag.

Hamilton, who finished second for Ferrari, demonstrated exceptional compound versatility throughout the afternoon. Having started on Softs before transitioning to Mediums, Hamilton pitted for another set of Softs during the Safety Car period immediately preceding the red flag. Restarting on a previously run set of Soft tyres, the seven-time World Champion set the fastest lap of the race on both the red-marked Soft and yellow-marked Medium compounds.

Meanwhile, Antonelli managed a crucial opening stint on Soft tyres, stretching his rubber all the way to lap 43 before switching to Mediums. Taking advantage of the red flag to fit a final set of used Softs, the Mercedes driver crossed the line in third position—more than enough to lock up his maiden World Championship.

A historic milestone for Pirelli

Antonelli’s championship triumph marks a major historic moment for Italian motorsport and tyre maker Pirelli. At just 20 years of age, Antonelli breaks the longstanding record previously held by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first World Championship at age 23. Antonelli also becomes the third Italian driver in Formula 1 history to claim the Drivers’ World Championship, joining elite company alongside Giuseppe “Nino” Farina (1950) and Alberto Ascari (1953).Remarkably, all three Italian World Champions in the history of Formula 1 achieved their titles exclusively on Pirelli rubber.

The podium at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez served as an iconic scene for the sport, featuring exclusively World Champions: four-time champion Max Verstappen, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, and F1’s newest and youngest champion, Kimi Antonelli.

Pirelli motorsport director on Antonelli’s achievement

(Infographic: Pirelli)

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli motorsport director congratulated Antonelli on his record-setting achievement: “Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli on winning the World Championship. It is a thoroughly deserved success, built on the consistency he has demonstrated throughout the season and sealed today with another outstanding performance, culminating in a podium finish in a race packed with drama alongside two World Champions.”

Marrafuschi also explained his view on the performance of Pirelli’s P Zero compounds in Mexico: “Without the neutralisations, a one-stop strategy would have been the most competitive option for this Grand Prix. Both the Soft and Medium compounds proved capable of covering around half the race distance, making it possible to complete the event with a single tyre change. The C5 once again confirmed itself as the benchmark compound in terms of grip and driver confidence, although the performance gap to the C4 was very small, with both compounds showing similar levels of degradation. It was therefore no surprise that every driver chose the Soft for the final stint after the Safety Car, despite also having the Hard compound available.

“From a technical perspective, tyre behaviour was very positive. We recorded no significant graining, and degradation remained within expected levels, proving lower than what had been observed on Friday.

“A lock-up by Leclerc at the restart following the red flag also provided further evidence of the robustness of Formula 1 tyres. The tyre sliding across the asphalt caused particularly severe localised wear on the front-left tyre, bringing it very close to the internal structural layers.

“This is certainly not a routine occurrence, but it is one that is consistently taken into account throughout Pirelli’s development and validation processes, including through rigorous indoor testing programmes. The ultimate objective is to ensure that the tyre maintains an appropriate level of integrity even under extreme conditions, allowing drivers to continue racing in complete safety.

“The performance of the Soft compound was particularly interesting, as demonstrated by Antonelli’s lengthy stint. He completed 43 laps while maintaining very limited degradation and a competitive pace right through to the closing stages of the race.

“The C3, meanwhile, was not considered by the teams because, under race conditions, it did not offer any performance advantage over the two softer compounds. Overall, the data collected confirmed a very clear picture, fully consistent with the simulations carried out before the event, both in terms of degradation and the competitiveness of the various strategic options.”