> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Two ways Antonelli is unexpectedly struggling in Mexico - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/two-ways-antonelli-is-unexpectedly-struggling-in-mexico/ - Published: 2026-11-01T00:23:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-01T00:23:22.000Z - Description: Still recovering from illness, and unusually tense - Kimi Antonelli's clinching of the Formula 1 title in Mexico has not been straightforward so far - Author: Josh Suttill - Tags: Formula 1, #mexican-grand-prix, #kimi-antonelli, #george-russell, #mercedes, #secondary_feature_2 A low-on-energy Kimi Antonelli said he felt unusually tense driving in qualifying for a likely Formula 1 title-clinching Mexican Grand Prix, where he is still recovering from illness. Antonelli can win the 2026 drivers’ championship with four rounds to spare if he finishes ninth or higher in Mexico after a supremely controlled season in which he has comprehensively outperformed teammate George Russell. However, Antonelli was unusually the slower Mercedes in qualifying in Mexico, ending up 0.184 slower than Russell and three places behind, although he gains one of them back because of Max Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty. That is partly explained by Antonelli not having fully recovered from the illness that meant he missed Thursday media day - but things have not flowed as smoothly as normal in the car either. “I feel very tired to be fair; I still haven't recovered completely,” Antonelli explained. “It hasn't been an easy weekend to be fair, and definitely I've been a bit more tense than usual, especially when you keep hearing, wherever you go, any time of the day, the same thing, and people telling that \[the title is\] already done. “And knowing myself…I've been trying to block this noise as much as possible, but it hasn't been easy. “Definitely, I've been a bit more tense today, but I felt decent in Q2, especially on the used tyre. Then in Q3 on the new tyre, I struggled to put the lap together, just to find the grip. “But I feel we have a good chance tomorrow, still P4, and we saved a set of new tyres, so hopefully we can use that and move forward.” Antonelli said he felt “very bad” on Thursday with a “high fever and stomach problems”. He added: “Now I feel OK, just low on energy. “I feel pretty tired, so it's going to be important to try and sleep well, because I haven't been sleeping well in these days, and hopefully tomorrow I will have more energy.” For Saturday night, Antonelli said he’s going to “bombard myself with melatonin, so hopefully I will sleep a good 10 hours”. ## **Where did he lose time to Russell?** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dd/af/ddafbd99-2ccd-468c-b622-4b3cccf80b49/content/images/2026/11/Kimi-Russell-map.png) Antonelli wasn’t using the narrow window of the upgraded Mercedes as an excuse, as “it’s the same as Austin and Singapore and Malaysia”. He added: “Today also the tyre was playing a big factor, but as well I didn't really put the lap together; I did a lot of mistakes here and there. “So obviously it's disappointing, but we'll try to sleep well tonight, and I'm aware that definitely I haven't been driving well. “I felt like already going into qualifying I didn't feel great, and I felt a bit low on energy, so definitely it's not an excuse, but for sure it hasn't been my finest performance.” Antonelli lost little chunks of time to Russell in a few places rather than there being one obvious area where he bleeds time. He said “Ah f\*\*\*” when told of his fifth place by race engineer Peter Bonnington, who replied “Yeah just what I thought” – and told Antonelli the losses were “mainly Turn 5 and 6 then a little bit through \[Turns\] 8/9”.