Kimi Antonelli qualifies fourth despite lingering viral illness
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 1, 2026
Antonelli illness lingers
Kimi Antonelli arrived at the Mexico City Grand Prix as the 20-year-old Formula 1 points leader, but a viral illness shaped much of his week before qualifying. Mercedes said he would miss Thursday’s media obligations because of the illness, and the FIA excused him from mandatory media duties so he could rest. Antonelli said he dealt with a high fever and stomach problems on Thursday, then said he was still recovering from fever and stomach issues earlier in the week when he got back on track. He said he had not fully recovered by qualifying, and the title pressure around him only made the day feel harder. Antonelli described himself as “tense” and “tired” during the session, and he said the constant talk about the championship made it more difficult to relax and put together a lap. That combination of illness and expectation left him searching for confidence at a moment when he needed every bit of it. He said the week had already been demanding before he even climbed into the car, and he was still trying to feel like himself again as the weekend moved toward qualifying.
Antonelli qualifies fourth
Antonelli still managed a strong enough effort to qualify fourth, even though he said he struggled to find confidence in the session. He said the laps never came together cleanly, and the problem showed up most clearly on new tires in Q3. That final phase of qualifying did not give him the clean run he wanted, and he left the session with the sense that he had left time on the table. He was also the slower of the two Mercedes drivers, finishing 0.184 seconds behind George Russell. That margin left him with a clear benchmark inside the garage and gave Mercedes a mixed result, with one car ahead of the other but both in the fight near the front. Antonelli’s qualifying position still kept him in range for Sunday, and his words after the session suggested he knew the race could still produce a different picture. He did not sound satisfied with how the lap came together, yet fourth place kept him in a useful spot as the weekend built toward the grand prix. For a driver dealing with an illness and the weight of a title fight, the result offered a decent recovery from the way he had felt earlier in the week, even if he believed there was more pace in the car and more pace in him.
Antonelli eyes Sunday
Antonelli said Mercedes still had a good chance in Sunday’s race if he made a strong start into Turn 1 and stayed out of trouble. That was the line he kept coming back to after qualifying, a simple plan built around track position and a clean opening lap. He also said Ferrari still had the stronger race pace, which set up a clear challenge for Mercedes even after his fourth-place effort. Antonelli’s focus was less on the lap he had just completed and more on what he could still control before the race. He planned to rest, hoped to sleep well and wanted to reset with his family at the circuit before Sunday. That approach fit the tone of his comments, which centered on recovery as much as racing. The title picture also remained in the background. Antonelli could clinch the Formula 1 championship with a ninth-place finish on Sunday, a fact that kept the stakes high even after a difficult few days. His qualifying result gave him a path into the race, but the bigger task was to recover enough to handle the start, manage the opening moments and give himself a chance to turn a rough week into a result that could decide the championship.
