Kimi Antonelli says he’s “trying to enjoy more” at Sao Paulo GP after clinching F1 Drivers’ Championship

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Kimi Antonelli said his mindset for this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix has shifted now that he has secured the F1 Drivers’ Championship. The Italian became the sport’s youngest title-winner after finishing third at last week’s Mexico City Grand Prix, and he confirmed that he has stopped thinking about the championship standings and wants to “enjoy more” in the remaining races.

Speaking after the first day of practice at Interlagos, Antonelli described a calmer approach in the car. Asked whether he feels more relaxed, he said: “Yes, definitely. I’m trying to enjoy more. Definitely not thinking about the championship now, but I’m enjoying it.” He added that Friday’s running was “not easy” due to tricky conditions, noting that grip was low and that track temperature and degradation make for an interesting race picture, while also acknowledging the challenge of finding the right car balance.

Antonelli said the team made a meaningful step between FP1 and FP2, after narrowly missing out on topping FP1 to Lando Norris. In the second hour of practice, he established a two-tenths advantage, before outlining that further work is needed before Saturday’s qualifying. “I think we did a good step between FP1 and FP2, and just need to work on [it] for tomorrow,” he said.

Weather could play a decisive role at Interlagos. Antonelli pointed to how conditions there can change quickly, saying there is already a “70% chance of precipitation for Saturday afternoon,” and describing the uncertainty around rain timing. “It’s so uncertain at the moment,” he said, adding that the team will try to be ready for “anything” and stay adaptable as conditions evolve.

Antonelli also said the competitive field is likely tightly packed heading into qualifying. He referenced the strength of McLaren and Red Bull, and pointed to Ferrari’s ability to find extra performance in qualifying, concluding that “we will all be very close to each other” and that it will be “a very tight Qualifying.”

Mercedes did not only focus on competitiveness and weather; it also addressed how George Russell’s power-unit situation could open a path to points. Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord confirmed that Russell will start the race with a five-place grid penalty after taking a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), framing it as the quickest strategy to reach the end of the season while balancing new-engine performance against managing an older power unit for reliability.

Lord said the decision is “ultimately” the team’s fastest way to get through the remaining races, explaining that “it’s likely that Kimi will have to take an extra ICE at an upcoming race as well.” He described the approach as the best balance between performance and the need to manage an aging power unit, while acknowledging it is “not the situation we want to be in” but offers “best chance of scoring as many points as possible.”

Looking ahead, Lord said the forecast implies shifting conditions across the weekend—warmer tomorrow, rain risk, and cooler temperatures on Sunday—and emphasized that adapting will matter. He also reiterated that qualifying will be about getting everything right on a single lap given short lap length and “tiny gaps,” while Sunday’s outcome will depend on extracting strong race pace under changing grip and degradation conditions.