KIMI ANTONELLI NEEDS TWO POINTS FOR YOUNGEST F1 TITLE

Kimi Antonelli can become Formula One’s youngest world champion at Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix. Championship calculations indicate that the Mercedes driver needs two points, which a ninth-place finish at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez would secure. The Italian missed media day this week because of a viral illness. Mercedes said it expected him to return the following day, stating: “We expect him to be back tomorrow.” Antonelli will compete in Mexico City during his second season in Formula One.

Antonelli turned 20 this year after spending the first half of the season as a teenager. A title would make him the first Italian Formula One world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Sebastian Vettel became the youngest champion in 2010, when Antonelli was four. Asked whether he remembered that result, Antonelli said: “I remember I was playing with Hot Wheels, but I don’t remember him clinching it.” His first season with Mercedes took place last year, and George Russell is his teammate.

The Mexico City race weekend also included a collision between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson during the second practice session. Their cars touched as they drove side by side through the stadium section, damaging both cars and leaving debris on the track. Officials briefly stopped the session to clear the carbon fibre. Verstappen said Lawson’s move was “not-very-smart behaviour” and added that the collision would not change his weekend. Antonelli’s opportunity to secure the championship comes in Sunday’s race.