News Summary
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted feeling “a bit tense” during qualifying for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, where he recorded the fifth-fastest time.
- The Mercedes driver will start fourth after Max Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty, despite missing pole position by 0.193s.
- Antonelli needs only ninth place in Sunday’s race to secure his first Formula 1 World Championship, regardless of his rivals’ results.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted that he felt “a bit tense” during qualifying for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, as the Mercedes driver prepares for the possibility of becoming Formula 1 world champion on Sunday (1 November). The Italian finished fifth in Saturday’s session, 0.193s behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, but will move up to fourth on the starting grid following Max Verstappen’s penalty.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Antonelli acknowledged the tension surrounding his performance. The admission came after a weekend in which the 20-year-old had demonstrated the pace to fight for pole, only to fall short during the decisive Q3 session.
Antonelli admits nerves after missing Mexico pole
Antonelli entered qualifying among the leading contenders after finishing second in FP3, just 0.001s behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.
However, the Mercedes driver was unable to reproduce that performance when pole position was decided.
He recorded 1:16.707, placing fifth behind Hamilton, teammate George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Verstappen in the qualifying classification.
Antonelli subsequently acknowledged feeling somewhat tense, although he did not identify a single mistake or technical problem as the decisive reason for missing pole.
The result contrasted with Russell’s performance, as the British driver qualified second, only 0.009s behind Hamilton.
Russell also admitted struggling to get the best out of his Mercedes, despite coming close to taking pole.
Antonelli’s weekend had already been disrupted by illness, which forced him to miss Thursday’s media commitments. He returned for Friday practice and reported feeling better before completing the remaining sessions.
Fourth on grid puts Antonelli close to historic F1 title
Despite his qualifying disappointment, Antonelli remains in a strong position to secure the Drivers’ Championship.
The Italian arrived in Mexico with 365 points, 123 ahead of Russell, after winning the United States Grand Prix at Austin.
With four races remaining after Mexico, a ninth-place finish would guarantee Antonelli the title, regardless of what Russell or Lewis Hamilton achieve.
Antonelli is also set to benefit from Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty, moving from fifth in qualifying to fourth on the provisional starting grid.
Hamilton starts from pole after ending a 1,197-day wait for the fastest qualifying time and securing his first Ferrari pole.
Russell will line up second, ahead of Leclerc and Antonelli, subject to the FIA’s final grid confirmation.
If Antonelli secures the championship on Sunday, he will become Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2010.
The 71-lap Mexican Grand Prix begins at 14:00 local time on Sunday, corresponding to 20:00 GMT in the United Kingdom and 15:00 EST in the eastern United States.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
