Mercedes Held Its Breath as Antonelli Sealed the Title with a Risky Pass
Kimi Antonelli secured the Formula 1 world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but he did so in a way that left Mercedes fearing the worst. He needed only to finish ninth to make the title mathematically certain, yet instead launched a late-braking attack on Charles Leclerc at Turn 1. The move succeeded, but Mercedes personnel questioned why Antonelli had taken such a risk when the championship was already within reach. Team radio host Anthony Davidson described the moment as one that left the team “holding their breath.”
Antonelli said he had no interest in simply completing the safe minimum. He wanted to finish on the podium and celebrate the title after producing a meaningful race, rather than settling for ninth place. He also believed Mercedes had the pace to fight for victory. An offset first-stint strategy had left him with much fresher tyres for the later stages, and he felt the car was strong enough to challenge at the front before a red flag interrupted the race.
The stoppage reset the field and put Antonelli fourth for the restart, with all the leading cars on fresh tyres. He used the opportunity to pass Leclerc for third and finished behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes later revealed that his afternoon had been even more precarious: an oil leak nearly forced him to retire in the closing laps.
Antonelli’s aggressive title-clinching drive also marked a contrast with the doubts he experienced during his rookie season in 2025. He said the pressure of joining Mercedes and the difficult moments, including a poor home race at Monza, forced him to mature quickly. At 20, he won the championship with four races still remaining, beating team-mate George Russell while refusing to play it safe.
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