Antonelli feeling tense amid effort to seal F1 title — SkimNews
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- Kimi Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish in the 1 November 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix to become Formula 1's youngest world champion at 20.
- Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth on Saturday but will start fourth on the grid because of Max Verstappen's penalty.
- Kimi Antonelli said an illness left him below 100% and more tense than usual, causing him to miss his Thursday media duties.
- Kimi Antonelli produced a Q3 final lap within two tenths of pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton but called it poor, citing limited tyre confidence and several mistakes.
- George Russell qualified second, only marginally behind Hamilton, suggesting Antonelli had been unable to summon his best level.
- Lando Norris said he was more than happy to hand his McLaren No. 1 position to Antonelli once the Mercedes driver became champion, calling his second-season outperformance of Russell 'incredible'.
Why it matters: With ninth place enough for the 20-year-old Mercedes driver to become F1's youngest champion, Norris is ready to hand his No. 1 position to Antonelli if he wins the title. For Mercedes, Antonelli's illness and fourth-place qualifying complicate a title bid built on his outperformance of Russell.
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