Antonelli Nears Record-Breaking Championship

Kimi Antonelli's fourth-place start at the Mexican Grand Prix puts him on the brink of becoming the youngest F1 champion. The 20-year-old sat on the second row after a 0.184-second penalty pushed him up from fifth fastest. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton grabbed his first pole for Ferrari in over three years, edging George Russell by 0.009 seconds. Hamilton's 105th career pole is the most since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish if Russell wins or tenth if Hamilton takes the race to seal the title. He admits the high stakes made him tense, saying he didn't have enough confidence. Hamilton shrugged off the championship talk, telling the press he's only focused on scoring points for Ferrari. Antonelli's teammate Charles Leclerc also starts on the second row, making the front-row duel even more crucial. If either front-row driver wins, Antonelli will still need to finish ninth or better to claim the championship. The Mexican Grand Prix weekend shows how a single 0.009-second margin can decide history.