Kimi Antonelli illness
Kimi Antonelli illness has forced the championship leader to miss Thursday’s media day at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Mercedes said. The FIA excused him from mandatory media duties as a precaution, and Mercedes expects him back on Friday. The absence comes before the weekend when a top-nine finish in Sunday’s race would make him Formula 1’s youngest world champion at 20, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record by three years.
If Antonelli scores no points on Sunday, he can still take the title if Mercedes team-mate George Russell or Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton do not win the race. That double route to the crown leaves Mercedes managing a driver who is unwell while also protecting a championship lead.
Mercedes title math and form
Antonelli has won nine races in 2026, his second Formula 1 campaign, and has consistently had the upper hand on Russell. The run is more surprising after a difficult rookie season. Mercedes said Antonelli was “feeling under the weather” and recovering from a viral illness; the team expects him back tomorrow.
Antonelli’s finish-on-a-high approach
Several F1 championships have been won without the champion finishing on the podium in that race, but Antonelli is keen to “finish on a high”. After winning in Austin, he told Sky Sports F1: “The perfect way would be to finish off in style and enjoy the rest of the season.”
“I’m very well aware it’s very close but the mindset hasn’t changed. I want to finish the season on a high in order to have high hopes in 2027. First we focus and worry about finishing this [season] well and we will see.”
Bottas absent as Cadillac seat questions persist
Valtteri Bottas will also miss media day because he is unwell, according to Cadillac, and is resting before Friday’s track action. Cadillac said the decision was precautionary and does not currently affect his participation in the remainder of the race weekend. The team said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates if necessary.
Rumours suggest Bottas’ seat is under threat despite a multi-year contract understood to run until the end of 2027, as he has been outperformed by team-mate Sergio Perez. Formula 2 driver Colton Herta, from America, will make his fifth practice outing for Cadillac this season in Bottas’ absence.
What to watch in Mexico City
The Mexico City GP is the second leg of The Americas triple-header. Antonelli’s return in Friday practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the first checkpoint. Mercedes expects him back; Cadillac will monitor Bottas.
Practice One and Practice Two are live on Sky Sports F1 on Friday at 6.30pm and 10pm. Qualifying is scheduled for 9pm on Saturday and the race for 8pm on Sunday, live on Sky Sports F1.
The original report is from skysports.com.
