Mexican F1 GP LIVE: Kimi Antonelli set to clinch championship; Ocon denies violence allegations

Italian youngster Kimi Antonelli is on the cusp of winning his maiden Formula 1 drivers’ championship and becoming the youngest world champion in history.

Antonelli has 365 points, which is 123 ahead of his teammate George Russell and 124 over Lewis Hamilton.

To win the world championship in Mexico, the following things need to happen:

• Antonelli needs to finish ninth or higher.

• He would also win the title if neither Russell or Hamilton win the race.

You’d think a lot of the attention this week would be on Kimi Antonelli, who is about to clinch the championship.

However, the F1 paddock has actually been preoccupied with controversy unfolding between Haas and their driver Esteban Ocon.

Earlier this weekend, Haas made the shock announcement that Ocon had been replaced for the rest of the weekend by Ryo Hirakawa, but offered no explanation as to why.

Ocon later addressed the situation on his Instagram account.

Good morning everyone and welcome to our coverage of the Mexico Grand Prix.

I’m Hannah Kennelly and I am caffeinated and ready to helm this live blog.

Lewis Hamilton might be on pole, but all eyes across the world will be on 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli as he seeks to clinch the drivers’ championship today.

To do so, he will need to finish ninth or higher in the race. Victory today would make Antonelli the youngest F1 world champion in history, surpassing the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel who won when he was 23 years and 134 days old.