Kimi Antonelli has a shot at clinching the Formula 1 title this Sunday (the 25th), at the United States Grand Prix, but he knows the odds are slim. The Mercedes driver arrives in Austin with a 102-point lead over George Russell, yet he needs a precise mix of results to secure the championship early.
To be champion this weekend, Antonelli must win the race, while Russell must finish ninth or worse and Lewis Hamilton cannot finish higher than fourth. Since the event will not feature a sprint race, only 25 points are up for grabs, and the title can only be decided after Sunday’s race.
Aos 20 anos, completados em agosto, o italiano também pode estabelecer um novo recorde na categoria: se conquistar o título, será o campeão mundial mais jovem da história da F1, superando Sebastian Vettel, que tinha 23 anos e 134 dias quando venceu o campeonato de 2010.
Antonelli, however, would rather not raise expectations. In discussions with the press, the driver acknowledged that a very unlikely scenario would be needed to confirm the title in Austin:
“Something catastrophic would have to happen to the others for me to become world champion. For me, it would have to be a perfect weekend, and for the others they would need to have bad results, which is unlikely to happen. So, of course, anything can happen, and it’s crazy to think about.”
“But as I said, we had a meeting with Bono this morning, and we simply said: enjoy it, keep the same mindset I’ve had all year, one race at a time, and yes, just try to do my best at every race weekend, and then we’ll see. But of course, if I do things well, the result will come.”
