2026 Mexico City Grand Prix Review, Max Won the Race, but Kimi became the World Champion.

In my Austin review, I asked the championship to stay alive until I was emotionally ready for Kimi to win it. Apparently, I was allowed one week.

Mexico was exciting, messy and tense, and just when I thought I could relax, something else happened. Max won, Lewis chased him right to the finish, and Kimi became Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20. I loved it, although watching F1 from a sofa should really require less recovery time afterwards.

But before we get emotional, Ferrari… we need to talk.

Lewis started from pole, with Charles third, and they immediately began fighting each other. By Turn 4, both had gone off track. Charles crossed the grass and took the lead, while Lewis lost momentum and Max slipped past him. Two Ferraris fighting for first, and somehow Max gets second. Thank you, Ferrari. As a Max fan, I appreciate the assistance.

Lewis was understandably unhappy: “I got pushed off by my own team-mate.”

Charles received five seconds for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The stewards took both cars going off into account, but Lewis felt Charles still benefited from running in clean air while everyone behind had to manage their tyres.

I understand wanting to beat your teammate. But Ferrari had a real chance of winning, and this was hardly the most helpful way to begin. We have already watched disagreements over positions and strategy this season. Lewis calling for serious discussions afterwards makes sense to me. Let them race, absolutely, but please agree on how much room they are supposed to leave each other first.

While Ferrari worked through all that, Max got on with his afternoon.

He started fifth on medium tyres while the leading Ferraris and Mercedes chose softs. When Max and Charles stopped, Charles served his penalty and Max came out ahead, now on soft tyres, with more than 40 laps still to cover.

His engineer GP told him: “We basically need one of your magic Mexico stints.”

No pressure then, Max. Just make the tyres last and perform a small miracle while you are there.

After my frustration with Red Bull in Austin, this was much better. Max was back fighting for the win, and I was back worrying about whether his tyres would survive it.

Then came the worrying part.

Bottas suffered a front-left suspension failure under braking at Turn 1 and hit the barriers heavily. Thankfully, he was released without injuries after medical checks. The damaged barrier brought out a red flag, followed by nearly 40 minutes of repairs.

Both Aston Martins had already retired with power-unit problems. Later, Hülkenberg’s contact with Bearman ended Ollie’s race and earned Nico ten seconds. Lindblad also crashed after contact with Piastri, bringing out another Safety Car.

There was barely time to process one incident before the next arrived.

The red flag also changed the tyre situation. Everyone in the top ten restarted on softs, so Max no longer had to stretch that earlier set to the finish. Lewis jumped Charles at the restart and went straight after Max, with the pair making slight contact at Turn 1.

AAAHH, these two.

I love watching Max and Lewis fight, but could they occasionally leave enough space for me to breathe as well?

Charles locked up, suffered vibrations and then lost third to Kimi. Lewis kept chasing Max, and the late Safety Car gave him another opportunity. Max still held on, winning by just 0.799 seconds.

What a finish. What a comeback from fifth. And behind them, Kimi finished third and became world champion.

I have spoken plenty about his luck this season, but nine victories do not happen because the universe likes your smile. He has delivered, and even with the title within reach, he went past Charles and earned his place on that podium.

Seeing him emotional, thanking Mercedes and his family while trying to take it all in… yes, that got me.

I like Kimi without being his biggest fan, but I was so happy for him. Becoming champion alongside Max and Lewis, two of F1’s greatest, made that podium even more special. What a photograph to look back on.

George, meanwhile, finished sixth. His poor start was followed by contact that spun Hadjar and earned him ten seconds. I support him, but I cannot blame luck for that one. Still, this race does not erase the brilliant drives he has given us this year. I thought 2026 would be his, and I am disappointed it wasn’t. For now, though, Kimi deserves every bit of this celebration.

My A2W race rating: 9.5/10. A proper fight for victory, plenty of tension and an ending that made me happier for Kimi than I expected.

George, next year is yours. I have absolutely no authority to promise that, but here I am doing it anyway.
aKi Malik