Motor racing Italian, Kimi Antonelli will start Sunday’s United States Grand Prix from pole position and stands on the verge of becoming Formula 1’s youngest world champion, after a surprise qualifying performance at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Mercedes driver beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds on Saturday to secure his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix in July. It was a timely return to the front after Mercedes’ early-season advantage was challenged first by McLaren and then by Red Bull.
Antonelli can clinch the title on Sunday if he wins the race while his Mercedes team-mate George Russell finishes lower than eighth and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finishes below fourth. Hamilton and Russell will start fifth and sixth respectively.
The Italian’s delight was evident on his slowing-down lap, when he celebrated over team radio. He had said before the weekend that he would approach the race with the same mindset he has carried all year, but admitted on Saturday that the occasion felt different.
“It does feel a little bit different,” he said. “But the goal stays the same. I just need to keep doing my job. And, actually, I feel like I can enjoy more driving, everything.”
He added that he was in a strong position and that Mercedes would try to win on Sunday before seeing how the championship picture unfolds.
Antonelli is usually accompanied at races by his father, Marco, but said he had brought a wider group of people with him this weekend to help him stay relaxed. He said he has a strong support network, including friends with whom he spends evenings playing cards, which helps him switch off before refocusing on track.
The championship maths suggests a title celebration on Sunday is not the most likely outcome. As Antonelli put it earlier in the week, it would require “something catastrophic” to happen to his rivals.
While that assessment may be an exaggeration, a first-lap collision involving Russell and Hamilton would, for example, alter the picture, the fundamental point remains that the title is not entirely in his hands this weekend.
