Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli will miss Thursday's media day at the Mexico City Grand Prix due to a viral illness, his team confirmed. The Italian, who leads team-mate George Russell by 123 points in the drivers' championship, was excused from his duties by the FIA as a precaution to allow him to rest ahead of the weekend. A Mercedes spokesperson said they expect Antonelli to return on Friday when practice begins at 18:30 GMT.
Title implications
Antonelli stands on the brink of clinching his first world title and becoming the youngest champion in Formula 1 history. He will secure the championship on Sunday provided he does not lose more than two points to Russell and one point to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. If Russell wins the race, ninth place would be enough for Antonelli; if Hamilton wins, tenth would suffice.
Bottas also absent
Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas is the other driver missing media day due to illness. His team said the Finn is "unwell" and has been given a day of rest as a precautionary measure, adding that it does not currently affect his participation for the rest of the weekend. On Wednesday, Cadillac announced a contract extension for Bottas's team-mate Sergio Perez until at least 2029, but made no mention of Bottas's future. The team is reportedly considering promoting American reserve driver Colton Herta for 2027. Herta will take part in his fifth practice session of the year on Friday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as he seeks the mileage required for an F1 super licence. The 2024 IndyCar front-runner moved to Formula 2 this season but sits 19th in the standings with a best result of fifth.
Russell seeks consistency
George Russell, who has won three races this season compared to Antonelli's nine, said his focus for the remaining races is to understand why his form has fluctuated so dramatically. "A couple of races ago we were on pole by 0.8 seconds in Azerbaijan and won the race, and then last week I finished P8," Russell said. "I've never had a season like this in my career where the performance has fluctuated so much." The Briton, who beat Lewis Hamilton in two of their three seasons together at Mercedes from 2022-25, insisted he has "lost no faith" in his ability to rediscover consistent form.
