Kimi Antonelli can win his first F1 title with a ninth-place finish in Mexico City
Antonelli needs only ninth in Sunday's race to clinch the Drivers' Championship, whatever George Russell and Lewis Hamilton do.
Key facts
Story- Kimi Antonelli, 20, needs only a ninth-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix to win the Drivers' Championship.
- The result holds regardless of where his teammate George Russell or Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finish.
- Last week in Austin, Antonelli won the race but still missed the title, because Russell and Hamilton each finished one…
Kimi Antonelli can win his first Formula 1 Drivers' Championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix with a ninth-place finish. The 20-year-old does not need his rivals to fall behind him for this to happen.
Antonelli's closest challengers are his Mercedes teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Whatever either of them does in the race, a ninth place would be enough for Antonelli to take the title.
The title push nearly came together a week ago at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Antonelli needed several other results to go his way even after winning that race. Russell and Hamilton each finished one place higher than he needed them to, so the title slipped away.
That result made the arithmetic clear for Mexico City. Antonelli now has a much simpler target, and a clear path to the title.
The race is held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which sits at high altitude. Drivers must adapt to thinner air, which affects engine power and how the car handles. Hamilton is also looking to turn his first pole position for Ferrari into a race win.
It is not yet known how the cars will perform in the thin air, or whether the weather will play a role on race day.
Worth your time?
One tap helps idly bring you more of what matters.
Advertisement
