Antonelli celebrates in style with mature podium drive

What a luxury to enjoy your coronation with so little pressure. Kimi Antonelli did admit to being extra tense this weekend as his maiden world championship loomed, but all he had to do was keep it on the island to cruise to the finish line.

Antonelli didn't have his finest qualifying session in Mexico, but from fifth on the grid he benefitted from Russell's slow start to get ahead and shadow the leaders.

With neither Russell nor Hamilton winning the race, Antonelli didn't even have to finish the race. And as virtually all of his top team rivals got their elbows out, Antonelli drove a mature and low-key race - the only bit of excitement coming when he made a lunge on Charles Leclerc to grab third after the red flag. That move ensured he would celebrate his maiden title on Mexico's famous podium fronting an electric Foro Sol stadium.

On a weekend Mercedes didn't have the upper hand, it was a worthy way to write a fresh chapter of F1 history.

- Fil Cleeren

Leclerc vs Hamilton incident costs Ferrari win

Ferrari was ideally positioned to claim its third victory of the season in Mexico. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were first and third on the grid, and front-row starter George Russell dropped like a stone in the second phase of the start.

The red cars went wheel to wheel in the first section of corners, with Hamilton narrowly retaining the lead out of Turn 3, but when Leclerc launched a move around the outside in Turn 4, both of them ended up going off track, with the Monegasque cutting the corner.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Hamilton lost momentum and was passed by Verstappen; Leclerc got a five-second penalty – more lenient than the regular 10 seconds due to mitigating circumstances, the stewards explained – but that wasn’t enough to hold Verstappen off in the pitlane.

The Monegasque went on to lose two more spots at the second start – after the race was red-flagged for Valtteri Bottas’ crash – and flat-spotted his tyres in the process.

Let’s put it plainly: this race could have been a Ferrari 1-2, and under the chequered flag it was a 2-4, because its drivers couldn’t behave. And Hamilton insistently calling for a harsher penalty for his team-mate likely wasn’t quite what Fred Vasseur wanted to see either.

- Ben Vinel

Verstappen's latest win proves Red Bull is back

Kimi Antonelli is a lucky boy that Red Bull's start to the season wasn't great - and Max Verstappen lost too much ground early on to realistically remain in the championship fight. Because had he stayed within striking distance, there would be a lot more for the Italian to worry about this year.

Instead, what we're seeing now isn't a comeback in the championship sense - but it's still a demonstration of what a force Verstappen can be. As soon as Red Bull gave him a car good enough to fight at the front, he started making the most of it.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

His Mexican victory is his third in the last four races. He's been on the podium in every single race since his retirement at Zandvoort - and that's as big a hint as any that you can't discount Red Bull and its Flying Dutchman from contention for next year's championship.

– Oleg Karpov

Ryo Hirakawa did exactly what was asked of him

Hirakawa travelled to Mexico to take part in FP1 before settling into a quiet weekend watching the rest of the action from the Haas garage. However, on Saturday morning, he was informed that he would also have to drive in FP3, qualifying and the race, following the team's decision to drop Esteban Ocon after a disagreement on Friday night.

At 32, the Japanese driver was making his debut in Formula 1, and there was little more anyone could have asked of him. Yes, he qualified almost nine tenths of a second behind his team-mate, but he still outqualified three rivals in Q1 and went on to complete the race without making a single mistake, even having to deal with two standing starts.

Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team, Laura Mueller, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Haas already has its 2027 driver line-up in place with Bearman and Camara, but Hirakawa showed that he could prove useful if the situation with Ocon remains unresolved and the team decides against promoting Camara just yet while he is fighting for the Formula 2 title. First, though, Hirakawa has another important assignment next weekend: securing the WEC title alongside his team-mates in the #8 Toyota at Monza. Or should he head to Sao Paulo with Formula 1 instead, given that he would be crowned champion anyway, even if he did not race in the WEC?

- Jose Carlos de Celis

Is Bottas right to feel "confident" about 2027?

Valtteri Bottas insists he is "pretty confident" he has a seat secured at Cadillac for 2027 and says that "everything needs to be validated with the big bosses in the USA".

However, his performances throughout the season have fallen short of team-mate Sergio Perez's, and that was evident once again this weekend. On Saturday, he was outqualified for the fourth consecutive time, finishing seven tenths adrift. The overall score stands at 15-9 in Perez's favour — and it is worth remembering that the Mexican has never been renowned as a particularly strong qualifier.

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images

The left-front suspension failure that sent Bottas into the barriers was certainly not his fault, but his Sunday had been anonymous until then. He struggled at the back of the field, with considerably less pace than Perez, who held 13th during the opening part of the race and showed that the Cadillac had the pace for more.

Bottas will surely know more about his contractual situation with the team, and his main rival for the seat, Colton Herta, has not particularly stood out in Formula 2 or during his FP1 outings either. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens if the American finally obtains his superlicence for next year.