Kimi Antonelli Plans to ‘Bombard’ Himself With Melatonin Before F1 Title Shot

Andrea Kimi Antonelli says he had a high fever and stomach problems before the F1 Mexico GP, where he can clinch the title, and plans to “bombard” himself with melatonin to get some sleep.After an outside chance in Austin, Mercedes’ Antonelli has a real chance to win the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship in the Mexico GP. On Sunday, he could be crowned the youngest champion, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record.But it hasn’t been the start he wanted to one of the most important weekends of his career. On Thursday, he was forced to skip media duties due to illness. He was not alone, as Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas did the same.Both were back on track on Friday, but the Italian is still recovering, and he managed only fifth in qualifying for the Mexico GP.He will start fourth because of a one-place penalty to Max Verstappen, while title rivals Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start from the front row. Ninth place or better would guarantee him the title, ESPN reports. Apart from his health, Antonelli has been trying to block out the noise around him, as people constantly tell him the title is already his.Antonelli Feels Tired Amid Constant Noise“I feel very tired, to be fair,” said Antonelli after the F1 Mexico GP qualifying. “I still haven’t recovered completely, but yeah, it hasn’t been an easy weekend, to be fair. Definitely, I’ve been a bit more tense than usual, especially when you keep hearing, wherever you go, any time of the day, the same thing.“People telling that it’s already done. Knowing myself, I’ve been trying to block as much as possible this noise, but it hasn’t been easy. And I’ve definitely been a bit more tense today. I felt decent in Q2, especially on the used tire, but then in Q3 on the new tire, I struggled to put a lap together, just to find the grip.“But I feel, yeah, we still have a good chance tomorrow, to be fair, and we saved a set of new tires, so hopefully we can use that and move forward,” said Antonelli, who Mercedes says picked up a viral illness between the races in Austin and Mexico.Photo by Jiri Krenek/Active PicturesA High Fever and Stomach ProblemsLando Norris has shared the precautions he takes to avoid getting sick in Mexico and Brazil, but Antonelli wasn’t so lucky. “[It was] very bad, I had a high fever and stomach problems, so it hasn’t been easy,” said Antonelli.“But now I feel okay, just low on energy, I feel just pretty tired. So, it’s going to be important to try and sleep well, because I haven’t been sleeping well these days, and hopefully, tomorrow, I will have more energy.”He admits he has been driving with more tension in Mexico than in Austin. To sleep, he plans to take melatonin and disconnect as much as possible from everyone apart from his family, who arrived on Saturday for the big moment ahead.Antonelli’s Sleep Plan: MelatoninPhoto by Simon Galloway/LAT Images“I’m going to bombard myself with melatonin, so hopefully I will sleep a good 10 hours,” joked Antonelli. “So, yeah, just going to try to relax as much as possible. My family has just arrived, so it’s going to be good to have them here.“Yeah, just going to try to disconnect as much as possible, get some sleep, and then I’m ready for tomorrow. In Austin, I wasn’t driving tense. Austin, I was much more relaxed, and so yeah, definitely it’s been the thing of this week.”