F1 – Kimi Antonelli was excused media duties yesterday with the Mercedes driver feeling unwell ahead of a Mexico City Grand Prix weekend that is set to make him Formula One’s youngest champion.
The team said the 20-year-old Italian was recovering from a viral illness and “feeling under the weather”.
“As a precaution, the FIA have excused him from his mandatory media duties to give him the chance to rest ahead of the weekend. We expect him to be back tomorrow,” a spokeswoman said.
Antonelli will be champion on Sunday if he finishes in the top nine at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, even if closest rival and teammate George Russell wins the race.
The Italian, who won in Texas last weekend, has a 123-point lead with five races and a maximum 125 points remaining.
Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas was also feeling unwell and taking a day of rest.
“This is a precautionary measure and does not currently affect his participation in the remainder of the race weekend,” the team said.
Antonelli can become Formula One’s youngest champion at the sprawling high-altitude capital’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as well as the first Italian to take the crown since 1953.
Now 123 points clear at the top and winner of half the 18 races this season, Antonelli needs only finish in the top nine and it’s job done.
If teammate George Russell or Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fail to win, it will be the same outcome.
Mercedes team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff agreed it was 99.9% sure but Antonelli, who sprayed non-alcoholic fizz from an unbranded bottle in Austin, still needed to finish the job.
“It’s either going to be a big tequila party or, if it’s not a tequila party, then it’s going to be caipirinha the weekend afterwards,” Wolff said, with Brazil following on from Mexico.
Antonelli, whose boyish enthusiasm and enjoyment of racing have been very apparent since he took the championship lead in the third round of the season in Japan, naturally plans to wrap up the title with a flourish.
“I’m going to approach it with the same mindset, just trying to have as much fun as possible, trying to hopefully fight for another win,” he said.
“It would be best to finish on a high, and that’s the goal.”
Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead on the same weekend, with a giant party in town even without Formula One’s arrival.
Mercedes could also clinch the constructors’ title but it still looks a long shot, with the team needing a perfect afternoon and Ferrari a terrible one.
Brazil the weekend after looks much more likely.
McLaren’s Lando Norris won in Mexico from pole last year but the reigning champions have ground to catch up and may not be as competitive.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen also has a strong record in Mexico, with five wins in the last eight attempts, and the Dutch four-times world champion will be looking to regain momentum after Antonelli thwarted his hopes of three wins in a row.
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