Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli needs only to finish ninth in Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix to become Formula One's youngest world champion at 20 years old. The Italian starts fourth on the grid at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having qualified fifth on Saturday before moving up a place due to a grid penalty for Red Bull's Max Verstappen, and needs just two points to seal the title.

Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari on pole position on Saturday, a record-extending 105th pole of his career and his first for Ferrari, making him, at 41, the oldest pole-sitter since Mario Andretti, then 42, at Monza in 1982. It was Hamilton's first pole in a regular grand prix since Hungary in July 2023. Antonelli's closest rival, Mercedes team-mate George Russell, qualified second but is 123 points behind with only 100 points available after this weekend, so both Hamilton and Russell have to win on Sunday if either is to keep Antonelli waiting another week. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc starts third, and reigning champion Lando Norris starts sixth.

A tense wait for a historic crown

Antonelli has admitted feeling more tense than usual ahead of the race, saying the prospect of the title being treated as a formality had been difficult to ignore. If he seals it on Sunday, he will become Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and will wrap up the championship with four races to spare after a second season in which he has comprehensively outperformed Russell, who began the year as the clear title favourite. The race starts at 20:00 GMT, and even if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins, Antonelli will be champion regardless of where he finishes.