Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Mexican Grand Prix championship celebration nearly turned into a DNF disaster. Mercedes discovered post-race that the new world champion's sump had cracked, coating the underfloor in oil and leaving him four laps from retirement as he clinched the title. Antonelli felt the power unit struggling in the closing stages but nursed it home, losing nearly two seconds on the final lap—though he admitted that was mostly tears. A retirement wouldn't have cost him the championship, but it would have robbed him of the podium photo with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton he's planning to frame. Meanwhile, George Russell endured another power unit issue, a start-line de-rate triggered by energy recovery rules that dropped him from race-winning position into midfield chaos. Mercedes' Bradley Lord called Antonelli's survival "a sign this is Kimi's year and things are rolling with him." Championship sealed, sump cracked, photo secured.
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