The youngest champion in F1 history, and first Italian winner for 73 years, will be bidding for his 10th win of a remarkable season, but knows luckless team-mate George Russell will be intent on returning to winning ways himself.
Blighted by ill-fortune and a series of car failures, the Briton is aiming for a strong end to the season, with a repeat of his 2022 triumph at Interlagos, to give him a springboard for a title challenge in 2027.
“All I can promise is that for the rest of this season, and into the next one, I will be giving my absolute all to rediscover the performance I have been capable of producing for the majority of my career,” Russell said.
“And fingers crossed that a little bit of luck returns,” he added earlier this week after congratulating 20-year-old Antonelli on finishing third in Mexico to clinch his maiden title.
Russell is without a win in four races since dominating from pole position in Baku and is chasing a fourth win this year.
Deputy technical director Simone Resta conceded, as did team chief Toto Wolff, that Mercedes had failed Russell.
“We really need to sort out these problems for the future,” he said.
“We let George down and he really deserves to have a chance to fight for a much higher position…
“It’s clear for the team – we need to maximise our points and results to win the championship. We are focused on it and we will do our best to achieve it.”
Mercedes need to outscore Ferrari by three points or more to be champions.
While Russell licked his wounds, Antonelli visited the family of his childhood hero Ayrton Senna and was photographed sitting in the three-time champion’s famous black and gold Lotus 98T car – complete with number 12 on the nose, the number the Italian has said he will keep next year.
– Local hope Camara –
Both of the Silver Arrows’ drivers will be strongly challenged too by Red Bull’s in-form four-time champion Max Verstappen, who has won three of the last four races including resisting Lewis Hamilton’s late charge in Mexico last Sunday.
The speed of his team-mate Isack Hadjar will be a threat along with both Ferraris, with Hamilton still smarting from their failure to triumph in Mexico due to poor teamwork and Charles Leclerc’s first-lap attack.
Ferrari, however, are without a win in Brazil since 2017 when the previous youngest champion Sebastian Vettel was victorious.
After flying home to Monaco to be with his wife Alexandra Saint Mleux for the birth of their first child, a daughter called Bianca, the late-arriving Leclerc may have other things on his mind.
He is set to be rested in Friday’s first practice with reserve driver Dino Beganovic running alongside Hamilton, who is both a three-time winner and an honorary citizen of Brazil loved by the passionate Interlagos crowd.
Last year’s winner and champion Lando Norris of McLaren should not be ruled out on a track where he has started from pole for the last two years.
Local hope Rafael Camara, 21, was expected to replace Leclerc but has instead been given a seat at Haas, succeeding Ryo Hirakawa who replaced the dumped Esteban Ocon in Mexico last weekend and finished 10th on debut.
Camara will make his F1 debut on his home track with the American team.
