Antonelli can clinch F1 title at United States Grand Prix this weekend

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 12:15 · Archive

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, 20, can become Formula One's youngest world champion if he wins at the United States Grand Prix this weekend.

Kimi Antonelli, a 20-year-old Mercedes driver in his second season, can clinch his maiden Formula One drivers' championship at the United States Grand Prix this weekend. If he wins, he will become the youngest F1 champion ever. Antonelli enters the race on 340 points, 102 more than teammate George Russell and 111 ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

For Antonelli to secure the championship at this weekend's race, he needs to finish 125 points ahead of Russell or Hamilton. This will happen if Antonelli wins and Russell finishes ninth or worse while Hamilton finishes fifth or worse. If Antonelli does not clinch in Austin, the Guardian reports he will in all likelihood be crowned in Mexico a week later. After this weekend, five grands prix remain in the season: Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with a maximum of 125 points left to win.

Mercedes have confirmed both Antonelli and Russell will run the team's latest-specification car at the United States Grand Prix. The new aerodynamic package had a problematic debut in Malaysia, after which only Antonelli ran the upgrades in Singapore while Russell used the pre-Sepang version so the team could compare performance. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team had worked hard to understand where they fell short and that Austin gave them an opportunity to respond.

Mercedes no longer enjoy the performance advantage they held for much of the season. Max Verstappen has won the past two races as Red Bull's upgrades unlocked performance, while Ferrari are now close to Mercedes and have aerodynamic upgrades arriving in Austin. McLaren have also repeatedly proved capable of beating the championship leaders and have upgrades planned for the coming races.

How it is being reported

• Austin GP is about much more than potential for Antonelli’s first F1 world titleYoung driver’s maiden championship is all but secured but Mercedes upgrades will inform next year’s run to the line There is nothing quite like a potential title decider to bring the fiercest of spotlights to bear as doubtless Kimi Antonelli will discover when he attempts to seal his first championship at the United States Grand Prix this weekend. For the young Italian the goal is straightforward and the culmination of a childhood dream. However, for his Mercedes team there will be scrutiny over performance in Austin that has significant implications going into next season. Continue reading...Guardian Sport · 21 Oct, 12:00
• Mercedes confirm car plans for US GP after unusual Singapore splitMercedes have confirmed Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will both run their latest-specification car at this weekend's United States Grand Prix.Sky Sports · 21 Oct, 11:09
• How Antonelli can become F1's younest world champion this weekendMercedes driver Kimi Antonelli can secure his maiden Formula 1 drivers' championship with victory at the United States Grand Prix.ABC News Australia · 21 Oct, 04:00

In this story: Kimi Antonelli · Mercedes · George Russell · Lewis Hamilton · Ferrari · United States Grand Prix · Red Bull · McLaren

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