Kimi Antonelli has admitted he is feeling more tense than usual as he nears his maiden Formula 1 world championship at the Mexico City GP on Sunday. Antonelli revealed on Saturday that he was not yet feeling “100 per cent” as he was recovering from an illness that forced him to miss his media duties on Thursday, leaving him short of his usual physical fitness.
“It has not been the easiest weekend to be fair,” Antonelli told Sky Sports F1 after Saturday’s qualifying session.
“Definitely still not feeling 100 per cent. There is talk of what could happen [with the championship], and definitely I’m a bit more tense than usual. Definitely I don’t feel as relaxed, but I [will] try to have a good sleep tonight and focus on tomorrow.”
Antonelli enters Mexico City weekend with a strong chance of becoming the youngest F1 world champion at the age of 20, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record, who achieved the feat at 23.
The Mercedes driver needs to score just two points (ninth place finish or higher) on Sunday, without depending on the result of his rivals, to clinch the title. He leads the championship standings by 123 points over teammate George Russell.
Kimi Antonelli Admits Lack of Confidence During Mexican GP Qualifying
Despite not being completely fit, the Italian showed encouraging pace during Saturday’s sessions, finishing second in FP3 before heading into qualifying. He set a lap time of 1:17.601 in FP3 on soft tires, finishing just 0.001s behind session-leader Lando Norris.
However, Antonelli was unable to carry that momentum into qualifying, where he came fifth. However, he will start from fourth due to a one-place grid penalty for Max Verstappen.
Reflecting on his performance, Antonelli looked a bit disappointed, admitting that he struggled to find confidence in the tires and made several mistakes during his final qualifying attempt.
“I struggled to get a good feeling from the tires in Q3,” the 20-year-old explained. “I just didn’t have the most confidence. I was a bit tense, I am not going to lie.
“It was a poor lap, many mistakes here and there. Overall, still P4 and a lot to play for tomorrow.”
Kimi Antonelli on Switching His Driver Number if He Becomes Champion
Kimi Antonelli has confirmed he will keep his current race number, “12,” and will not switch to number ‘1’ for the 2027 F1 season after winning the 2026 title.
“First, I have to get the job done in Mexico,” Antonelli told Blick. “But I think that once that’s done, I’ll still be racing with number 12.”
Antonelli has a long history with the number 12. The Mercedes driver has been using this number since he made his Formula 4 debut in 2021. Under this number, he won the Italian and ADAC F4 titles in 2022, as well as the Middle East and European Formula Regional crowns.
More F1 Reading
- Charles Leclerc Warns Mexican Grand Prix Order Will Be Set in First Few Corners
- FIA Warns Drivers of Penalties for Keeping Off-Track Gains on Mexico City GP Lap 1
- Esteban Ocon Rejects Physical Violence Speculation After Shock Replacement by Haas in Mexico
- Liam Lawson Disqualified From Mexico City GP Qualifying Over MGU-K Infringement
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Charles Leclerc Warns Mexican Grand Prix Order Will Be Set in First Few Corners
FIA Warns Drivers of Penalties for Keeping Off-Track Gains on Mexico City GP Lap 1
Esteban Ocon Rejects Physical Violence Speculation After Shock Replacement by Haas in Mexico
Liam Lawson Disqualified From Mexico City GP Qualifying Over MGU-K Infringement
