Kimi Antonelli stands 90 minutes of racing away from Formula One immortality. The 20-year-old Mercedes sensation needs only a ninth-place finish at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix to etch his name into the record books as the sport’s youngest-ever world champion and end Italy’s agonising 73-year wait to reclaim the crown. Barring a catastrophic implosion of biblical proportions, Sunday afternoon will belong to the kid who’s turned F1 on its head.
Also read: Antonelli eyes immortality with sixth straight win in Barcelona
The mathematics are brutally simple. Finish ninth or better, and Antonelli becomes champion at 20 years and 68 days, smashing Sebastian Vettel’s record by more than three years. More remarkably still, he’ll succeed Alberto Ascari, who won Ferrari’s last title in 1953, bridging a chasm during which Italy became synonymous with Formula One yet couldn’t produce a world champion.
Team-mate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton trail by 123 and 124 points respectively. Both must win in Mexico whilst praying Antonelli finishes 10th or worse, an outcome so unlikely it borders on fantasy.
Consistency of a champion
Antonelli hasn’t just won this title, he’s dominated it. Nine victories from 18 races tell only part of the story. In his last 11 outings, he’s registered nine podiums, one fifth and one 15th, his second non-points finish all season. The campaign began with second place in Australia before five consecutive wins announced his arrival.
Also read: Antonelli blazes past Hamilton to clinch victory in sprint race at Silverstone
Some have described his off-track demeanour as puppy-like, infectious enthusiasm spilling over in every interaction. But when the lights go out, he’s all business.
“I’m going to approach it with the same mindset,” Antonelli said in Texas after Sunday’s victory. “Trying to have as much fun as possible, but trying to fight for another win. It’s best to finish on a high and that is my goal.”
The comment encapsulates his approach, enjoy the journey whilst maintaining laser focus on the job at hand. He’s not thinking about ninth place; he’s hunting another victory.
Tequila or caipirinhas?
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who plucked the teenage prodigy from obscurity to replace Lewis Hamilton last season, is already planning the party. The only question is which weekend it happens.
“It’s going to be a tequila party,” Wolff grinned. “Or if not, it will be a caipirinha party the weekend afterwards.”
Mercedes could clinch the constructors’ championship at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, turning Sunday into a double celebration. Given their recent form, don’t bet against it.
Ferrari’s billion-euro regret
Whilst Mercedes toast their genius, Ferrari’s tifosi face mixed emotions, pride in an Italian champion wrestling with the gut-wrenching reality that he could have been theirs. The Scuderia had first crack at Antonelli as a prodigiously talented youngster but deemed him too young. Oops.
“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.”
Sunday’s race
Ironically, Antonelli won’t be favourite to actually win on Sunday. Max Verstappen has triumphed five times in Mexico and arrives on blistering form after recent victories. The four-time champion will fancy adding another trophy whilst Antonelli plays it safe.
World champion Lando Norris won from pole last year for McLaren and desperately needs a change of fortune. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton should also feature prominently.
At the back of the grid but top of local affections sits Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez, celebrating his 300th race start. The 36-year-old Mexican, who on Wednesday announced a contract extension through 2029, will generate his own fiesta atmosphere regardless of result.
