Breaking: Antonelli crowned youngest world champion,

Leclerc forces his way through, Verstappen pounces

Starting from pole, Lewis Hamilton did not stay in front for long. Charles Leclerc attacked his team-mate on the approach to Turn 2, then through the Turn 4-5 sequence, cutting across the grass to take the lead. Third on the grid, Max Verstappen took advantage of the Ferrari scrap to slip into second. Further back, George Russell made a poor start, dropped from second to sixth and hit Isack Hadjar's Red Bull.

The radio soon heated up. Hamilton complained he had been pushed off track by his own team-mate, and Verstappen demanded that Leclerc give the position back. The stewards settled for a five-second penalty for the Monegasque, who had left the track and gained an advantage, a sanction both his rivals considered rather lenient. Hamilton also pointed out that Leclerc, alone in clean air, could push without managing his tyres. Russell, for his part, was handed ten seconds.

Red Bull's strategic masterstroke

Leclerc quickly opened a five-second gap over Verstappen, the only front-runner to start on mediums. Both pitted together on lap 28 for their only stop: mediums for the Ferrari, softs for the Red Bull. With Leclerc serving his penalty in the pit lane, Verstappen took the lead despite running the more fragile compound. Antonelli, who delayed his stop until lap 44, briefly led from Russell and Lando Norris, with no real strategic card to play for the win.

That is when Valtteri Bottas hit the wall at Turn 1 after a front-left suspension failure on his Cadillac. A Safety Car, then a red flag: almost 40 minutes of stoppage to repair the barriers. The Finn was taken to the medical centre as a precaution and emerged uninjured.

Hamilton attacks, Antonelli on the podium

The race resumed with a standing start, everyone on softs. On lap 47, Hamilton jumped Leclerc and closed in on Verstappen, who held firm through the first sector, the circuit's main overtaking zone. A lap later, Antonelli passed Leclerc at Turn 4 to move onto the podium. The Monegasque, hampered by a flat spot after locking up, then had to keep Norris at bay.

Running seventh, Arvid Lindblad went off after a clash with Oscar Piastri, bringing out another neutralisation. At the lap 65 restart, Hamilton harried his old rival for several laps, to no avail. Verstappen wins by 0.799 seconds for his third victory of the season, and his third in four races. Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly complete the top ten.

An age record shattered

In tears, Antonelli crossed the line in third. At 20 years and 68 days, according to RTBF, he wipes out the record of Sebastian Vettel, champion at 23 in 2010. Franceinfo notes that he clinches the title in only his second F1 season, with four rounds still to go. He also becomes the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

It was another grim evening for Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both had to retire to the garage after just seven laps, once again let down by their Honda power units. Oliver Bearman also retired with suspension damage after contact with Nico Hülkenberg.

Freed from the weight of the title, Antonelli heads into the final rounds with nothing left to defend. Verstappen keeps racking up wins, and according to GPblog the Italian already sees him as his main rival for 2027. The next duel may already have begun.