Antonelli one top-nine finish from F1 title in Mexico
Kimi Antonelli will take his place in Formula One’s record books as the youngest champion and Italy’s first since 1953, barring a wild swing of unexpected misfortunes amid a fiesta atmosphere at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
The runaway leader of the drivers’ championship needs to finish ninth or better in his Mercedes to take the title aged 20 years and 68 days. That would lower the record held by Sebastian Vettel by more than three years.
The arithmetic
After winning the United States Grand Prix last Sunday, Antonelli’s two remaining title rivals are his team-mate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. They sit 123 and 124 points adrift respectively.
The only way they can stop him is by winning in Mexico and hoping Antonelli finishes tenth or worse. On recent form, that outcome looks highly unlikely.
Antonelli has won nine races of this year’s 18 to date. In his last 11 races, he has scored nine podium finishes, one fifth place and one fifteenth place. That fifteenth place was only his second non-points-scoring race in 18 outings, a run that began with second place in Australia followed by five wins.
It is the consistency of a champion: a driver with a clear vision of his work and a cool head on young shoulders. Out of the car, he is boyish, precocious and full of fun. When the visor comes down, he has shown both the talent and the mentality to win and remain, mostly, unflappable under pressure.
The record at stake
Almost as remarkable as the age record is the national one. Antonelli would succeed Italy’s last champion, Alberto Ascari, who won for Ferrari in 1953. That is a gap of 73 years, during which Italy has become synonymous with Formula One without producing another world champion.
“I am going to approach it with the same mindset,” Antonelli said in Texas. “Trying to have as much fun as possible, but trying to fight for another win. It is best to finish on a high and that is my goal.”
His team boss Toto Wolff, who drafted the teenage Antonelli into the Mercedes seat last season following the departure of seven-time champion Hamilton, is anticipating a celebration probably this weekend, with the next race in Brazil as a backstop.
“It is going to be a tequila party,” Wolff said. “Or if not, it will a caipirinha party the weekend afterwards.”
A constructors’ title too
Mercedes could also clinch the constructors’ championship at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. A double celebration would cap a season in which the team backed a teenager and watched him deliver.
Ferrari’s loyal tifosi may have mixed feelings. The Italian team had a chance to sign Antonelli as a boy of great potential, but said he was too young.
“I am a Ferrari man and delighted to see what Antonelli is doing,” former president Luca di Montezemolo told Spain’s AS newspaper last month. “But what I do regret is that Ferrari had the chance to sign him and they didn’t. A great opportunity vanished, but it was better for him, to be such a young Italian driving a Ferrari would have been terrible pressure.”
Who can spoil the party
Antonelli will not be favourite to win on Sunday, knowing that on this occasion it is more important simply to finish well than to win. After a strong run of recent form, four-time champion Max Verstappen is poised to take advantage for Red Bull.
Verstappen has triumphed five times in Mexico and won twice before last Sunday’s race in Austin. World champion Lando Norris won from pole last year for McLaren and is due a change in fortunes. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and seven-time champion Hamilton should also be contenders.
At the back of the grid, but at the centre of the local celebrations, will be Cadillac’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez, who is set for his 300th race start. The 36-year-old, who on Wednesday announced a contract extension keeping him at the American team through to 2029, has been a home favourite for years and will generate his own festive atmosphere.
A memorable weekend is in prospect, and it may end with the youngest champion in the sport’s history.
Related coverage:
- https://featurepakistan.com/antonelli-wins-us-grand-prix-title-waits-october-2026/
What does Antonelli need in Mexico?
A ninth-place finish or better would seal the drivers’ championship, regardless of what his rivals do.
How old would he be as champion?
He would take the title aged 20 years and 68 days, beating Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest champion by more than three years.
