Antonelli poised to become youngest F1 champ

Kimi Antonelli touched down in Mexico earlier this week knowing that he stands on the brink of becoming Formula 1’s youngest world champion following a beautifully crafted victory last Sunday in Austin, Texas.

However, the 20-year-old Mercedes racer was not in the Mexico City paddock, as he was recovering from a viral illness and missed his mandatory media duties at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The Eldoradonews.com reports that the effects of the illness certainly didn’t show on the track. Antonelli, who is aiming to become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history this weekend, finished second in the first free practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, trailing only Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

To secure the title and break the record set by Sebastian Vettel – the youngest champion to date at the age of 23 in 2010 – Antonelli can finish as low as ninth on Sunday.

Verstappen and Lawson

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will both lose a place on the grid at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Red Bull’s Verstappen and Racing Bulls’ Lawson have been given grid penalties by the stewards following their “unacceptable” and “clumsy” incident during second practice in Mexico.

The pair – having missed FP1 as rookies Ayumu Iwasa and Nikola Tsolov took over their cars – crossed paths in the early stages of FP2 when Verstappen made a move on Lawson into Turn 12.

Lawson tried to get back ahead at the following left-hand turn through the stadium section, with Verstappen bouncing over the kerb on the exit and rejoining alongside the New Zealander, causing damage to the Red Bull’s floor and Racing Bulls’ front wing.

A red flag was thrown to recover the debris, and both drivers picked up their practice programmes – Verstappen finishing P5 and Lawson P9.

Stewards later reviewed the video footage and data, and spoke to Verstappen and Lawson, before issuing individual one-place grid drops.