Mercedes' 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli arrives in Mexico City on the brink of becoming the youngest world champion in Formula One history.
Mexico City is set for a coronation. Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Italian driving for Mercedes, heads into the Mexican Grand Prix on the verge of the Formula One world title, and a win-or-bust weekend could make him the youngest champion the sport has ever seen.
It has been a season where the new regulations have left plenty of fans and insiders grumbling. Antonelli has been the antidote. In only his second year in F1, he has been fighting at the front for Mercedes, and he has done it with a joy that is hard to ignore.
For the first half of the year he was still a teenager, and he played the part. He attacked life at the sharp end of the grid with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of someone discovering a favourite new band or the pleasure of an ice-cold beer. The grin barely left his face.
Now the stage matches the story. Mexico City is famous for its carnival atmosphere, and a crowd that loves a spectacle could be there to witness history. If Antonelli seals it, a season defined by regulation debate will end with a young champion who enjoyed every moment of the ride.
