Official grid confirmed for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli set to start fourth

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Kimi Antonelli headlines Sunday’s 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix grid from fourth position, with a ninth-place finish or better set to guarantee him the World Championship regardless of other results. Formula 1’s youngest championship prospect arrives at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with the outcome of the race capable of ending his title wait by the end of the day.

Hamilton and Russell line up on the front row, meaning both drivers are positioned as the only challengers who can prevent Antonelli from taking the crown if neither wins is not the case. The Italian’s title path, as described in the official grid rundown, is contingent on the race finishing outcome relative to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts third, while Max Verstappen goes from fifth after incurring a one-place grid drop following a practice incident involving Liam Lawson. Verstappen will therefore begin the race behind Leclerc and the front-row pair, with the fifth-place start reflecting that penalty.

Lawson will not start from his grid slot. The Racing Bulls driver received a one-place penalty before being disqualified from Saturday qualifying due to a technical breach, and his team’s decision to make set-up changes and install a new power unit means he will start the race from the pit lane.

At the other end of the grid, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas will line up from the back following power unit changes made ahead of the weekend. The report specifies that those changes resulted in a 50-place drop.

The 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. local time. The full official starting order is described as available in the source, but the supplied text here includes only the positions for Antonelli, Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Verstappen, Lawson, and Bottas; a complete 20-car grid could not be verified from the provided excerpt and would require the full official order text.

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