Kimi Antonelli arrives in Mexico just short of his first world drivers’ title, leading teammate George Russell by 123 points at Mercedes. The Italian needs only two more points to become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history. This means a ninth-place finish or better would guarantee the title regardless of his rivals’ results. Even if he scores no points, he could still be crowned champion if neither Russell nor Lewis Hamilton wins the race. Lewis Hamilton, the pole-sitter, appears highly motivated ahead of the Grand Prix.
Local idol Sergio Pérez prepares to race on Sunday in his 300th F1 Grand Prix. The driver from Guadalajara debuted at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix with Sauber, crossing the finish line in seventh place, but was later disqualified due to a rear-wing infringement. In total, he took part in 37 races with the Swiss team over two seasons, scoring his first three podiums. He then spent a single season at McLaren in 2013, before moving to Force India. He raced 99 times with the Anglo-Indian team, achieving five more podiums, before the team became Racing Point in 2019. He competed in 36 races under that name and, in his second-to-last race with the team, won his first F1 career victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. For 2021 he moved to Red Bull Racing and, in 90 starts with the Austrian team, has won five times and achieved 29 podiums. After a year away from the sport, he returned to F1 this year with Cadillac.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is hosting the sixth edition of the Mexico City Grand Prix. The race received this name for the first time in 2021, whereas previously 20 Mexican Grands Prix had been held that counted towards the World Championship. Jim Clark holds the record for the most pole positions at this circuit, starting from first place in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967. Max Verstappen is the most successful driver at this circuit with five wins, all with Red Bull, making Red Bull the most successful team there with one more win than McLaren. McLaren and Ferrari are the only teams to have won in all three eras of this circuit.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads with 607 points, with Ferrari second on 474. Red Bull has climbed to third with 355 points, level with McLaren but ahead on the basis of better results achieved earlier. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents special demands for F1 cars, mainly due to the circuit’s high altitude. The low air density makes it harder to generate aerodynamic downforce, causing the cars to slide more and put greater pressure on the front tyres. Cooling the power units and brakes is also more complicated at this altitude.
The Mexican Grand Prix, the 19th round of the 2026 World Championship, will be broadcast live on Sky Sport F1 and streamed on NOW, on Sunday, 1 November 2026, at 21:00. The delayed broadcast will be on TV8 at 22:30.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport