History could be made at Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix as Kimi Antonelli looks set to be crowned F1's youngest world champion.
Mercedes driver Antonelli will wrap up the Drivers' Championship with four races to spare if he finishes no lower than ninth at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, although he will not even need that if teammate George Russell fails to win the GP, while a points finish would be enough if Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton takes the chequered flag.
Hamilton will start the race at the front of the grid after clinching his maiden pole as a Ferrari driver and his first of any note since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix when he was driving for Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion pipped Russell to pole by just 0.009 seconds, while Antonelli, winner of last week's United States Grand Prix to tighten his grip at the top of the standings, was fifth quickest but will start fourth on the grid due to Max Verstappen's one-place grid penalty.
Mexico City GP betting picks and predictions
Charles Leclerc to win (+300)
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the opening two practice sessions in Mexico City and finished ahead of Scuderia teammate Hamilton in practice three and in the second qualifying session before having to settle for third on the grid.
That should not disappoint the Monegasque too much - he is without a pole all season - and his recent race-day form is good, finishing second in the last two races in the US and Singapore, while he has not been outside the top four since retiring from the Italian Grand Prix in early September.
With Russell admitting that his laps this weekend have been up and down, making a consistent race performance hard to envisage, Verstappen receiving an albeit small grid penalty and Antonelli having felt under the weather earlier in the week and perhaps being satisfied with just doing enough to clinch the title, Leclerc could face a straight battle with Hamilton for race victory.
Hamilton, a two-time former Mexico City GP winner, has the experience and starts from pole, but Leclerc has outperformed his teammate in four of the last five races and may have enough to clinch his second race victory of the season following on from his success at the British Grand Prix in July.
Max Verstappen top-three finish (-110)
Verstappen received his minor grid penalty following a collision with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson during practice two for this race, but starting from fifth should not disrupt the four-time world champion too much.
A record five-time winner at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Verstappen has recovered from a slow start to the season, both for him personally and his Red Bull team, to finish on the podium in each of the last six races.
The 29-year-old was a winner at the Bahrain and Singapore Grands Prix before finishing third in Austin last week and he has secured four podiums in his last five visits to Mexico, following three victories with a third-place showing 12 months ago.
Carlos Sainz Jr. points finish (+1000)
It has been largely a season to forget for Carlos Sainz Jr. and Williams, with the Spaniard languishing 18th in the Drivers' Championship standings and his team ninth in the Constructors' race, ahead of only Aston Martin and the newly established Cadillac outfit.
Sainz has collected seven of his team's 12 points, the most recent of which came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he does have previous in Mexico City and may be worth considering as an outside choice to finish in the points.
The 32-year-old was the winner of the Mexico City GP during his final season with Ferrari in 2024 and has three other top-six finishes to his name at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
A consistent and experienced performer, Sainz could edge into the top 10 and who knows, that could cause an issue for Antonelli if the race does not go to plan for the world champion-elect.
Mexico City GP odds
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | +162 |
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | +300 |
George Russell (Mercedes) | +450 |
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | +450 |
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | +500 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
