Illness keeps Antonelli away from Mexico Grand Prix media day

Kimi Antonelli will miss Thursday’s media day at the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix because of a viral illness from which he is recovering. The FIA excused him from those activities, a Mercedes spokesperson said. The team decided to give him a day of rest to support his recovery.

“We expect him to be back tomorrow,” the spokesperson added. Mercedes described the decision as precautionary and said it did not currently affect Antonelli’s participation in the rest of the weekend. The team will monitor his condition and provide updates if needed.

The absence comes with Antonelli close to securing his first Formula 1 title. Autosport says he could become the youngest world champion, beating Sebastian Vettel’s 2010 record by more than three years.

Toto Wolff reflected on how far Antonelli has come. The Mercedes team principal said it was “extremely satisfying” to see the Italian driver’s turnaround after a difficult previous season. “Many people said, after nine races without points last year, that he shouldn’t be in Mercedes,” Wolff recalled. He also pointed to criticism from people who felt Antonelli should not even be in Formula 1, and to the driver’s tears at Spa. “It’s extremely satisfying to see what he can deliver, how he works with the team and with Bono, his engineer Peter Bonnington. It wasn’t an easy road,” he said.

Wolff also credited the change in regulations with helping Antonelli’s progress. In his view, the cars used in the previous season had been around for four years, giving other drivers time to get used to them, while this year the rules are new for everyone. He praised Antonelli’s ease of adaptation and mindset. The driver had told him in Austin that he wanted to enjoy the race without thinking about the championship; Wolff advised him to stick with that attitude.

The Mercedes boss described Antonelli’s progress as a positive surprise and stressed the contribution of the people around him, including his engineers and family. Antonelli has also spoken of a “great group of people” who help him stay relaxed, tune out the noise and enjoy the race weekends.

Wolff also spoke about the possibility that Antonelli may need to finish the race in Mexico for the championship situation to be settled. He joked that there could be a tequila celebration if the title is decided there, or a caipirinha the following weekend. Antonelli, meanwhile, said he wanted to finish the season strongly and that his mindset had not changed: “First we focus on finishing this season well, and then we’ll see.”