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Antonelli leads Russell 340 to 238 on points (Rai) and holds a 102-point lead (Guardian). A win on Sunday, 25 October, settles it if Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower.
Antonelli would be champion at 20 years and 61 days, beating Sebastian Vettel's age of 23 years and 134 days (Rai).
Mercedes' latest upgrades fell short of an expected three-tenths of a second per lap, while Verstappen has won the past two races and Ferrari has aerodynamic upgrades arriving in Austin (Guardian).
Kimi Antonelli can secure the drivers' championship at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, 25 October, the first of three races in the Americas that could decide the title. According to Rai, the 20-year-old Bolognese has 340 points, against 238 for George Russell and 229 for Lewis Hamilton. The Guardian puts his lead over his Mercedes teammate at 102 points. No Italian has won the drivers' title since Alberto Ascari did so in 1953 at the wheel of a Ferrari, his second straight crown.
Data from the article text
To clinch in Austin, Antonelli must win the race, Russell must finish ninth or lower and Hamilton must finish fifth or lower, the Guardian reports. Rai frames the target as adding another 23 points to his advantage over the second-placed driver, and notes that a win would also rule out Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. If the title is not settled in Texas, the Guardian says he is likely to be crowned at the Mexico City round a week later. Il Giornale adds that a finish in Sao Paulo would still set a record, with the title coming at 20 years, 2 months and 14 days.
If he wins the title in Austin, Antonelli would be the youngest Formula 1 world champion, beating Sebastian Vettel's mark of 23 years and 134 days, according to Rai. Il Giornale gives Vettel's 2010 title age as 23 years, 4 months and 11 days. The same outlet lists records Antonelli has already set this season, including the youngest pole sitter at a Grand Prix, the youngest race leader and the youngest winner of the Monaco and Italian Grands Prix. It also reports that no driver had ever won his first five Grands Prix in a row before him.
The Guardian says Mercedes can no longer count on the car advantage it enjoyed for the opening half of the season, and that its Austin performance carries implications for next year. Max Verstappen has won the past two races as Red Bull's upgrades unlocked performance, and Ferrari, which the Guardian describes as close to Mercedes and capable of beating them, has aerodynamic upgrades arriving in Austin. McLaren have upgrades planned for the triple-header in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. Mercedes' second and final upgrades, brought to the race in Malaysia, were expected to add as much as three-tenths of a second per lap but did not deliver, and the team reverted to the old specification on Russell's car to diagnose the problem before Singapore.
Antonelli has admitted that he feels confident about the season, while the scale of what is happening surprises him. Il Giornale reports that he said the following.
“Confident of being able to have a good season, but what is happening goes beyond all imagination.”
Il Giornale also notes that Italy has waited 73 years for a champion, and that Antonelli's own wait has been far shorter.
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Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli holds a 102-point lead and could be crowned at the United States Grand Prix, which would make him Formula 1's youngest world champion at 20 years and 61 days.
AI text based on reports by Rai news, The Guardian and il Giornale.it. Published .