Two points from the crown
Could this be the weekend Kimi Antonelli is crowned? The 20-year-old Mercedes driver needs only two points on Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City to win his first Formula 1 world championship. Ninth place is enough. Even if he finishes lower or retires, he can still be champion provided neither George Russell (Mercedes) nor Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), his last two rivals, wins the race.
That looks like a long shot given recent form. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has won only once this season, in Barcelona in June. Russell has three wins despite driving the best car on the grid and has disappointed. The title could be decided during the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.
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Marko versus Wolff on Russell
Helmut Marko, the former Red Bull adviser who left the team at the end of last year, has said Russell probably won’t get another chance at a title and may never again be a team’s number one after his 2026 season. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff disagreed, saying Russell has what it takes, that the car doesn’t suit him and that sharing a garage with a rising young star hasn’t been easy. Give him a fast car next year, Wolff believes, and a title is possible.
Four drivers fighting for second
Russell must defend second place in the standings against Hamilton (1 point behind), Max Verstappen (6) and Charles Leclerc (9). The Red Bull driver has taken six podiums in a row, including two wins. After finishing eighth in Austin, Russell said runner-up matters little to him; his priority is the constructors’ title, where Mercedes lead Ferrari by 133 points.
Mexico is also Sergio Pérez’s home party. The Cadillac driver will make his 300th Grand Prix start on Sunday, becoming the seventh most experienced driver in F1 history. He put on a show in the streets of Mexico City on Wednesday in front of more than 100,000 fans, and Cadillac announced a contract extension through the end of 2029.
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