Antonelli reveals Mercedes held its breath as he lunged for title at Mexico City

Kimi Antonelli clinched the 2025 Formula 1 world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix not by nursing a safe result, but by lunging past Charles Leclerc into Turn 1 with a late-braking move that left his own Mercedes team holding their breath. The 20-year-old needed only ninth place to secure the title; he finished third.

Speaking on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, Antonelli said the reaction inside the garage was mixed. “Some of them, they were like, ‘Couldn’t you have just stayed behind?’” he laughed. “But of course, I wanted to finish on the podium. I wanted to clinch the title with a good race. I didn’t want to just clinch it by doing the normal job, which was OK, finish ninth.”

Host Anthony Davidson, a former F1 driver, described the move as “necessary but not necessary at the same time” — capturing the tension between sporting instinct and championship arithmetic.

The risk extended beyond the overtake itself. Mercedes has since confirmed that Antonelli was running with an oil leak in the closing laps and came close to retiring from the race entirely. He ultimately crossed the line third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, having taken the position from Leclerc after a red-flag restart reset the field.

Antonelli believes he had even more pace in reserve before the race was stopped. Running an offset tyre strategy in the first stint, he felt he was positioned for a strong second half on much fresher rubber. “I really believe that after the pitstop we could have even fought for maybe a win, because the pace was very strong and the car was feeling great,” he said.

That attacking instinct was not always so assured. Antonelli reflected candidly on a difficult stretch during his rookie season in 2025, which included a troubled home race at Monza. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve been questioning myself over and over again last season during that stretch,” he admitted.

He acknowledged that stepping directly into a championship-contending Mercedes intensified the scrutiny on him, but said the hard moments ultimately accelerated his growth. “Looking back, I’m very glad that I went through all those difficult moments, because I think they shaped me. They made me grow a lot faster. They made me mature a lot faster,” the 20-year-old said.