Ahead of Sunday's potential championship-deciding race, twenty-year-old Italian driver Kimi Antonelli has fallen ill with a virus. Mercedes issued a statement explaining that he would miss Thursday media day.
Mercedes said: Kimi is feeling under the weather today as he recovers from a viral illness.
Mercedes added: As a precaution, the FIA have excused him from his mandatory media duties to give him the chance to rest ahead of the weekend.
Mercedes also stated: We expect him to be back tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.
Practice for the event in Mexico City begins on Friday at 18:30 GMT.
Antonelli can secure his first world title and become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history if he does not lose more than two points to team-mate George Russell and one point to Lewis Hamilton.
Only a victory by either Russell or Hamilton would prevent him from claiming the championship.
In that case, finishing ninth would still secure the title for Antonelli if Russell wins, or tenth if Hamilton wins.
Antonelli is not the only competitor affected, as Valtteri Bottas will also skip Thursday due to illness.
Cadillac released a statement regarding his absence, noting: Cadillac Formula 1 Team can confirm that Valtteri Bottas will unfortunately be unable to attend todays media day in Mexico City as he is unwell.
Cadillac further stated: The team has decided to give him a day of rest to support his recovery. This is a precautionary measure and does not currently affect his participation in the remainder of the race weekend.
Cadillac concluded: We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates if necessary. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.
