Mercedes Reveal Kimi Antonelli Was on the Brink of Mexico Grand Prix Retirement

Pulse Sports Team 12:01 - 05 November 2026

Mercedes have confirmed that newly crowned Formula 1 World Champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli was on the brink of a dramatic retirement in the closing laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix due to a critical mechanical issue.

The young driver sealed his maiden F1 world championship with four races to spare, crossing the line in third place behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. However, his title triumph hung in the balance just miles from the chequered flag.

Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord revealed that Antonelli's W17 developed a severe oil leak in the final stages of Sunday's race.

"After the finish, we brought the car back into the garage, and when we removed the floor, everything underneath was covered in oil," Lord said. "The sump had cracked, and Kimi told us that with about four laps to go, he felt the engine losing power. We were right on the brink of a DNF, but the car somehow held on."

It proved to be a challenging weekend overall for Antonelli. The newly crowned champion battled a viral infection that ruled him out of Thursday's media duties, followed by a frustrating qualifying session on Saturday.

The youngest champion in Formula 1 history made no mention of the technical scare during the post-race FIA press conference, but openly admitted he was overwhelmed with tears behind the wheel as his childhood dream became a reality.

"I knew how close I was to the title, but the goal was to finish strong. It was a tough weekend physically, and the emotions completely took over," Antonelli reflected. "On the final lap, I just had to back off because I couldn't see the track through the tears. I told myself to slow down so I wouldn't crash right at the end. Even on the penultimate lap, I lost about two seconds from crying. Memories from my karting days all the way to now flooded back. Crossing the finish line, I let it all out—it was the ultimate dream come true."