With the title sealed, Antonelli can now relax, but will he?
Mercedes
The biggest prize has already been claimed, but Formula 1 keeps going this weekend in what could be another celebration for Kimi Antonelli.
As the sport arrives at Interlagos, the Mercedes driver faces his first race as world champion, and the attention turns to how he will react to driving without the championship pressure.
Meanwhile, Ferrari must confront the fallout from its Mexican meltdown and show that it has learned from the lessons that cost it victory a week ago.
In less than two years since making his grand prix debut, Kimi Antonelli has already achieved what most drivers spend their entire careers chasing.
At 20, he is a world champion, having secured the title in Mexico with four races still remaining.
Throughout the year, and particularly since he became championship favourite early on, Antonelli never appeared particularly intimidated by the prospect of becoming champion.
Antonelli could score his 10th win of the year in Brazil
Grand Prix Photo
His rise through the season was built on an incredible combination of speed and consistency, and he generally looked comfortable carrying the expectations that came with leading the championship despite extreme caution from the likes of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who tried to keep expectations in check for a significant part of the first half of 2026.
Even when the pressure increased towards the end of the campaign, Antonelli continued to deliver, as evidenced by his performances in races like Monza or Baku.
Now with the biggest prize already settled, there is an intriguing question about what comes next: could winning the championship make him an even more formidable driver?
Antonelli did admit to feeling more tension ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, where he needed only a ninth-place finish to guarantee the title. But that was hardly evidence of a driver buckling under the weight of expectation.
He finished third, making a decisive move on Charles Leclerc after the restart before bringing the Mercedes home safely on a weekend where he had to deal with illness.
The relief was evident afterwards, as was the emotion of finally achieving something that had been the focus of his life. Yet his comments also offered a hint of what might follow. “We still want to finish on a high,” he said after Mexico.
That makes it one of the most interesting prospects for the remaining races.
Antonelli no longer needs to worry about championship arithmetic, and can instead fully concentrate on racing with the freedom to explore the limits of both himself and his Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli is Formula 1’s youngest world champion by more than three years. Beating that would take a combination the modern sport has made close to impossible
There is still plenty to learn, and the final four rounds offer valuable experience ahead of what will be an altogether different challenge in 2027. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he will take unnecessary risks or change his approach, but it’s intriguing to find out whether a stress-free Antonelli can unlock another level.
There is also the matter of his rivals.
Ferrari should probably have won in Mexico, Max Verstappen has beaten Antonelli in three of the last four races, and the prospect of a genuine wheel-to-wheel battle between the two remains one of the big unanswered questions of 2026.
Interlagos is an appropriate place for Antonelli to begin his next chapter straight away, and also a venue steeped in the history of his hero, Ayrton Senna.
The championship might be settled, but Antonelli now has the chance to find out just how far he can push himself when the pressure of a title fight is no longer part of the equation.
What Antonelli does next could be even more revealing about his real potential.
Fred Vasseur heads to Brazil with a problem that has overshadowed Ferrari’s recent progress.
Its performance in Mexico suggested Ferrari has finally solved its problems with qualifying to end up with a car capable of challenging for victory without the need to recover from lowly grid slots.
But the fallout from the clash between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc left its team boss with some tough questions to answer.
Will Ferrari’s talks solve its problems?
Ferrari looked capable of securing a rather straightforward one-two before the situation unravelled. Hamilton was unhappy with how things unfolded, while Leclerc was left defending his own actions.
Their disagreements over how the team managed the situation added to the frustration, turning what should have been a hugely encouraging result into an uncomfortable afternoon for everyone involved.
Vasseur was particularly unhappy with what he perceived as a lack of respect for the team and the people working in Maranello.
His comments after the race were unusually pointed, making it clear that he expected more from his drivers.
But criticism alone won’t solve the problem, as similar incidents earlier this year have shown. Hamilton has also demanded discussions and action to prevent a repeat, while Ferrari needs to establish exactly what it expects from both drivers when they are competing for position.
That is where Vasseur’s authority will be tested.
Hamilton and Leclerc are both experienced enough to understand the importance of protecting the team’s interests, but neither is likely to welcome instructions that compromise his own chances.
Ferrari needs clear rules, and it needs both drivers to understand that those rules apply equally and that they are working for the team.
The pressure will be on Vasseur to control his drivers
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Ferrari finally appears to have made meaningful progress, and it would be particularly frustrating if internal disagreements prevented it from making the most of that improvement.
The team can’t afford to turn every promising result into a debate about which driver was treated unfairly.
Vasseur has insisted that the situation will be discussed and addressed, but he now needs to demonstrate that he can translate those assurances into action.
The Brazilian Grand Prix will provide an early indication of whether the message has got through.
The 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix produced one of the most ingenious and controversial technical exploits in Formula 1 history.
Both Piquet and Rosberg were disqualified
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Brabham’s Nelson Piquet crossed the finish line first at Jacarepagua, with Williams driver Keke Rosberg second, but both were disqualified after a protest over a smart interpretation of the minimum-weight regulations that had given several teams a substantial advantage.
The background was a growing imbalance between the turbocharged manufacturers and the naturally aspirated teams.
Renault and Ferrari had powerful turbo engines producing close to 600bhp, while most of their rivals relied on the Cosworth DFV, which was significantly less powerful. The FOCA teams, led by Bernie Ecclestone, needed to find another way to compete.
They spotted an opportunity in the rules, which required cars to weigh at least 580kg after a race but allowed cooling fluids to be replenished before the final weighing. Their solution was to install water tanks ostensibly designed to cool the brakes. The tanks could hold up to 40 litres, adding considerable weight to the cars before the start.
The trick was that the water tanks were quickly emptied during the race. Once it had been discharged, the cars could run considerably below the minimum weight, gaining a substantial performance advantage. At the finish, the tanks were simply refilled before the cars went to scrutineering.
It was a clever interpretation of the wording, but Renault and Ferrari weren’t ready to accept it. They protested after Piquet and Rosberg finished first and second in Brazil, arguing that the cars had not complied with the minimum-weight regulations during the race. The stewards initially rejected the protest, allowing the results to stand.
Renault and Ferrari appealed the decision, however, and the FIA’s appeal court eventually overturned it. Piquet and Rosberg were subsequently disqualified, handing victory to Alain Prost, who had originally finished third for Renault, while John Watson and Nigel Mansell moved onto the podium.
The ruling also forced a change in the regulations. From the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, cars would have to be weighed before any fluids were replenished, closing the loophole that had allowed the trick to work.
But the consequences went beyond two disqualifications. Ecclestone’s FOCA teams were furious with the decision and responded by boycotting the San Marino Grand Prix. Only 14 cars eventually took part, as several teams refused to race in protest.
