The Mexican Grand Prix was suspended with 25 laps remaining after a structural failure on Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac caused a tire to burst and sent the Finnish driver into the barriers. The race was set to resume with Max Verstappen leading Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli in third.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth before the stoppage and expressed frustration over both his opening-lap duel with teammate Leclerc and Mercedes’ race strategy. Over the team radio, the seven-time world champion said race control wanted Leclerc to win and later complained of “big problems.” After leaving the car, Hamilton threw his scooter to the ground in anger.
Antonelli needed two points to become the third Italian Formula 1 world champion, 73 years after Alberto Ascari won his second title. The Mercedes driver could secure the championship by finishing ninth, or tenth if George Russell does not win. He could also finish outside the points provided neither Russell nor Hamilton takes victory.
Speaking to Sky Sport before the start, Antonelli thanked Italian fans and said he would do his best to raise the national flag. Starting fourth, he said the opening phase and the decisions made during it could prove decisive. He also said he had slept well after feeling exhausted.
Antonelli was the main focus in the paddock in Mexico, where he arrived holding hands with his 11-year-old sister, Maggie. Their father, Marco, was also at the circuit after travelling from Mugello, where he had been working with the family’s Antonelli Motorsport team.
Sources: ANSA Sport.