Antonelli admits title tension: top nine in Mexico City will do
Kimi Antonelli says he feels more tense than usual and is short on sleep as he starts fourth in Mexico City. A ninth place would make him the youngest world champion, even if team-mate George Russell wins the race.
An admission before the race
Kimi Antonelli arrives at Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix as the favourite to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, and on Saturday he admitted for the first time that the weight of that prospect is getting to him. He starts fourth, with a title that could be settled within hours.
What he said
Antonelli told reporters that he feels "a bit more tense than usual" and is no longer as relaxed as earlier in the year, according to RacingNews365. Autosport reports that he put some of this down to the constant questions about the championship and to people telling him it is already done, noise he is trying to block out. He also described himself as very tired and not yet fully recovered. He missed Thursday's media duties with a fever and stomach problems, and said he is now mainly short on sleep. His plan for Saturday night, Autosport says, was melatonin and about ten hours of rest.
He was frank about qualifying too. He felt reasonable on used tyres in Q2 but struggled to find grip on new tyres in Q3, and said tiredness and mistakes played a part. He added that this was not an excuse. Fourth, he said, is still a solid starting point, and he hopes to use a fresh set of tyres saved by Mercedes for the race. Hamilton took pole by 0.009 seconds ahead of Antonelli's team-mate George Russell.
What he needs
According to Crash.net, Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points with 125 still available over the final five rounds. A ninth-place finish and the two points it brings are enough to clinch the title even if Russell wins the race. If Hamilton wins, Antonelli needs to finish tenth or better. If neither Russell nor Hamilton wins, he is champion whatever his finishing position. Hamilton's only route is to win and hope Antonelli ends up tenth or lower.
By the numbers
Our race data backs up the size of that cushion. After 18 races Antonelli has 365 points and nine wins, Russell has 242 points and three wins, and Hamilton has 241. Antonelli is 20 years old.
The race starts at 21:00 Vienna time.
