Antonelli wins in US but has to wait to secure title
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix, moving closer to his first Formula 1 world title. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver leads team-mate George Russell by 123 points, but must wait until next weekend’s race in Mexico City for a chance to secure the championship.
Antonelli will be champion in Mexico if he loses no more than 23 points to Russell and 24 to Lewis Hamilton. He could finish ninth if Russell wins, or 10th if Hamilton wins; if neither wins, Antonelli will take the title whatever his finishing position. He finished 16 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc after using a one-stop strategy, while Max Verstappen came third, and said Mercedes’ upgraded car had delivered the result the team needed.
In short
- Antonelli won the US Grand Prix by 16 seconds.
- He leads Russell by 123 points.
- He can clinch the title in Mexico next weekend.
Explained simply
Formula 1 is a season-long series of races in which drivers score points according to where they finish. The driver with the most points at the end of the season becomes world champion, so a race win adds to a driver’s total but does not by itself decide the title.
Antonelli drives for Mercedes, alongside George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are among the other leading drivers. The championship matters to drivers and teams because it recognises success across the full season, rather than at a single race.
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