FIA blocks F1 trophy request as Kimi Antonelli faces title celebration without the real thing

The FIA's reasoning is tradition. The drivers' champion has always received the trophy at the FIA's end-of-year prize giving rather than at a Grand Prix. This year that ceremony takes place in Shanghai on 12 December, six days after the final race of the season.

Reports suggest that F1 was not even asking for a full presentation but wanted to use the trophy for press photos with Antonelli in Mexico, partly because hardly anyone knows what it actually looks like. The FIA still refused, so the trophy stays locked away until December.

If Antonelli clinches the title tonight, the championship trophy will only appear as a digital projection on the LED screen near the podium. The real trophy will be handed over at the Prize Giving ceremony in Shanghai.

The Mercedes driver starts today's race from fourth on the grid. The race gets underway at 2pm local time (8pm UK). Finishing ninth or higher guarantees him the title. He will also be crowned regardless of his own result if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the race, as GPblog previously explained.

A title today would make him the youngest world champion in F1 history, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record by more than three years. If he wins the title today, he would be exactly 20 years and 68 days old on the day he clinches it.

His build-up has not been straightforward. A viral illness kept Antonelli away from Thursday's media day before he returned to the paddock on Friday. Mercedes deputy team boss Bradley Lord told Sky: "He's still a bit tired, but he's participating normally in the briefings."