Kimi Antonelli’s date with destiny has arrived. By the end of Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, the Italian could be Formula 1’s youngest ever World Champion.
The 20-year-old starts the event in fourth on the grid, and a result of ninth or better will guarantee him the crown regardless of what anyone else does.
The only two who can stop Antonelli from winning the title are Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – and the Britons line up on the front row. The Ferrari driver scored a stunning first pole in red on Saturday – also his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix – and will hope to convert that into a second Grand Prix win for the Scuderia. Russell, meanwhile, also has eyes on success around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Quite simply, if neither of them win, the title also goes to the Italian.
Charles Leclerc lines up third for Ferrari while Max Verstappen starts fifth, the Dutch driver taking a one-place grid drop courtesy of a practice skirmish between him and Liam Lawson. And speaking of the Kiwi, the Racing Bulls man also had a one-place penalty to take before he was disqualified from Saturday’s Qualifying due to a technical breach. He will start the race from the pit lane after his team opted to make set-up changes and take a new power unit.
Elsewhere, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas will start from the back of the grid after the team made power unit changes ahead of the weekend, seeing him take a 50-place drop.
The 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 1400 local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 1300 here.
