For the first time since 1953, an Italian is the F1 World Drivers' Champion. Kimi Antonelli finished third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, clinching the championship. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver also became F1's youngest-ever champion, surpassing the mark set by a 23-year-old Sebastian Vettel in 2010. With Antonelli never crossing the finish line lower than fifth so far this season, the ninth-place finish he needed to secure his maiden title seemed like a cakewalk. However, nothing is ever guaranteed in Formula 1. Antonelli was never in contention for the win at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, but that didn't matter. His main goal was getting home in one piece. The young Italian qualified fourth and stayed there before cycling to the lead during the pit stop. He would eventually have to yield the position to make his own stop on Lap 43. He could've held the lead if he stayed out on lap longer. Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac suffered a catastrophic left-front suspension failure while heading into Turn 1. The machine became a sled, slid through the run-off area and slammed into the barrier. It took a while for Bottas to get out of the cockpit, but he walked away. Race control was forced to throw a red flag to recover his car. A champion's coronation Back in fourth for the standing restart, Antonelli took advantage of Charles Leclerc locking up into Turn 1 to snag the final podium spot. He may have finished third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but the celebration under a blizzard of confetti might be the most memorable of the Italian's entire career. After the trophies were handed out and the champagne sprayed, Hamilton and Verstappen hoisted the new champion up onto their shoulders in front of the roaring crowd. It was the Hollywood freeze-frame ending to Antonelli's meteoric ascent to racing's highest summit. It was a disastrous day on the other side of the garage. George Russell started 2nd, but had a power unit deployment issue on the opening run to Turn 1 and sank down the order. He then made contact with Isack Hadjar in Turn 6 and received a ten-second penalty for his trouble. Russell salvaged a sixth-place finish. While the British driver didn't hesitate to congratulate Antonelli after they climbed out of their cars, it was clear he was devastated to lose the championship to his teammate. Russell skipped the mandatory post-race media interviews. In Russell's absence, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff heaped praise on Antonelli and the team's patience with the sophomore champion, saying: "People said he shouldn't even be in F1, he should be at a smaller team, 10 races and no points, the tears in Spa, and then this. I'm just so proud for the team, all of them continued to trust him and he delivered." Yet another meltdown for Maranello The tumult at Scuderia Ferrari reached a new low. Ferrari seemed poised to take the victory with Lewis Hamilton taking his first pole since 2023. With how difficult it is to pass in Mexico City, the seven-time champion just needed to survive the start's lengthy run to Turn 1. His biggest threat turned out to be his own teammate. Leclerc slipstreamed from third to Hamilton, then tried to pass on the outside. The Monégasque driver took another shot at the lead heading into Turn 4. Neither Ferrari driver kept their car on the track through Turn 4. While Hamilton re-entered the racing surface to make Turn 5, Leclerc cut the course across the grass to take the lead. Ferrari would ask the pair to swap positions to avoid a penalty, but this time was different. Max Verstappen had gotten past Hamilton. Ferrari and Leclerc opted to put their fates in the stewards' hands rather than yield the lead by choice. The decision: a five-second time penalty. The penalty was enough for Verstappen to inherit the lead after pit stops, but not enough for Hamilton to take second. The decision's light-handedness was something Hamilton noted after the race, adding that he received a ten-second penalty for a similar infraction last year. He was far less calm during the red flag, telling his team over the radio, "We've got big problems. Big, big problems." After Hamilton returned to pit lane, he stormed off the back of the garage Haas' bizarre mid-weekend swap As bad as things are at Ferrari, neither driver has been fired. Haas abruptly benched Esteban Ocon on Saturday. The American team had reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa serve as a substitute for the rest of the weekend. Relationships between Ocon and Haas were already strained as the French driver had already been axed from the team's 2027 lineup. The benching was allegedly the result of a heated argument on Friday between Ocon and team boss Ayao Komatsu that became physical, according to French newspaper L'Equipe. Ocon took to social media to deny the report that he resorted to violence. It's unclear who will be in the empty Haas seat next weekend in Brazil. Hirakawa has a respectable debut outing, finishing 13th on the track. The 32-year-old Le Mans winner was promoted to tenth, scoring a point, after other drivers received post-race penalties. Unfortunately, Hirakawa is unavailable for Interlagos as he's racing for his third World Endurance Championship with Toyota in Monza. Komatsu implied that Ocon could return. Antonelli may have clinched the championship and made history, but this season's drama is far from over.
Liked by Claire Campbell, Samuel Brown
Liked by Claire Campbell, Samuel Brown
Liked by Claire Campbell, Samuel Brown