Antonelli poised to become F1’s youngest champion at Mexican Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli can secure the Formula One world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday if he finishes ninth or better. The 20-year-old would become F1’s youngest world champion and the first Italian to take the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Antonelli’s arrival at the front of the field has been a defining storyline of this season; he spent the first half of the year still a teenager and is now competing for Mercedes in only his second season. His exuberant approach to racing — a wide grin frequently visible — has contrasted with broader discontent over the new regulations. After a difficult rookie year, his pace and results this season have surprised many inside the sport, including team principal Toto Wolff, who had at one point questioned whether Antonelli should even be in F1 following his debut season.
On track Antonelli has adapted to the demands of the new energy-managed cars, extracting pace and control that have at times left his more experienced Mercedes teammate George Russell struggling to match him. That ability has been accompanied by what the article describes as a sharp, incisive driving style and a level of judgment that belies his years. The combination of speed and composure has been central to Mercedes’ performances when Antonelli has been at the wheel.
His early-season run included five successive victories, the final win in that sequence coming in Monaco where he took an exceptional pole position to deny Max Verstappen and then delivered the race victory, including seeing off two restarts. Peter Bonnington — “Bono”, who was Lewis Hamilton’s engineer across the British driver’s six titles with Mercedes — has been a constant presence at Antonelli’s side through the highs and lows of the past two seasons.
Bono has offered a succinct appraisal of Antonelli’s speed: “As soon as he’s happy in the car: happy driver, fast lap time.” The team have aimed to give Antonelli freedom to drive in a way that suits him; Bono said this approach was important, describing it as “giving him the freedom to do what he enjoys, giving him the freedom to enjoy driving the car, that’s a real big thing and not stressing too much. He’s just a joy to work with.” Wolff added an insight into Antonelli’s mindset with a recounting from Austin: “In Austin, he came to my office sat down on the sofa and said: ‘I’m going to enjoy this one. Isn’t it funny? I’m not thinking at all about the championship,’” Wolff recalled. “I said: ‘Stick to that attitude. You have the best job in the world. Don’t forget that.’ He has the right mindset.”
Even when Mercedes have not been the outright fastest, Antonelli has produced results at crucial moments; at the last round in Austin he delivered when victory was required. That capacity to perform under pressure has drawn praise from peers, including Lewis Hamilton, who pointed to Antonelli’s handling of the demands outside the cockpit: “You never know how anyone’s going to do under pressure until you see them,” Hamilton said. “I could assume that he was going to be fine with the weight you have on you. When you have to do all these appearances and all these things, pulled left, right and centre. But he’s taken it in his stride. He’s a relatively old soul in that young body.”
The Mexican Grand Prix weekend has taken on a festival atmosphere, amplified by the race coinciding with Mexico’s Day of the Dead; the paddock and city are decorated with bright orange Mexican marigolds, the “flor de muerto”, and skulls, skeletons, candles and colour are plentiful. Home hero Sergio Pérez is welcomed with Cadillac branding and his image widely on display around the city, at times appearing as a lifesize cardboard cut‑out among elaborately dressed skeleton figures. The venue’s stadium section provides a particularly intense setting for any title celebration; Hamilton clinched championships at this circuit in 2017 and 2018.
Antonelli was withdrawn from his media duties on Thursday, with Mercedes saying he was unwell and needing to recover properly, and the Italian has stated he would like to finish the job in style and be able to relax for the remaining four races. There is no reason to believe he will suffer from any yips, certainly. If he finishes ninth or better on Sunday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, he will secure the world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix.