Here is the thing about high-stakes weekends: they never go according to plan. Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrived in Mexico City needing just a ninth-place finish to secure his maiden championship, a seemingly straightforward objective on paper. But motorsport has a funny way of making even the simplest task an absolute ordeal.
His back was against the wall before he had even strapped on his helmet for the first practice session. In the days following his triumph in Austin, a viral illness laid him low right in the build-up to his coronation weekend.
He was excused from his usual pre-race media duties on Thursday as he tried to recover. Though he was in the car for both Friday practice sessions, he kept a minimised profile throughout as he attempted to accelerate his recovery.
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