Source : @F1
AUSTIN — Kimi Antonelli says winning the Formula 1 world championship would be a dream he has had since childhood, but the Mercedes driver insists the job is not yet done as he arrives at the United States Grand Prix within touching distance of the title.
Formula 1’s official X account posted a 40-second video on Thursday (Oct 22) with the caption: “‘We’ll try to finish the job properly’”, adding: “Kimi is in touching distance of a first drivers’ championship”, alongside the hashtags #F1 and #USGP. The clip pairs Antonelli’s answers at the drivers’ press conference at the Circuit of The Americas, where he wore a brown Mercedes cap and white team shirt, with footage from his season, including an embrace with Lewis Hamilton, celebrations with his team in parc fermé and podium scenes, including at this year’s Italian Grand Prix.
Asked what it would mean to follow in the footsteps of Hamilton, the driver he replaced at Mercedes, Antonelli said: “I mean, it would be a dream. It’s something I’ve dreamt of since I was little. First of all, to find myself in such a position is incredible. But at the same time, I need to keep going, keep pushing, and it’s not over yet.” He added: “So first, we’ll try to finish the job properly, and then we can enjoy the rest. But, for sure, it would be an incredible achievement, but there’s still a bit to go.”
The 20-year-old Italian leads the drivers’ standings on 340 points, 102 clear of team-mate George Russell on 238, with Hamilton third on 229 and Max Verstappen fourth on 221. He will be crowned in Austin if he wins the race, with Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. Victory would make him the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, beating the record Sebastian Vettel set in 2010.
Antonelli played down the chances of it all being settled on Sunday. “I mean, it definitely is crazy if you think about it, but that’s why I won’t think about it,” he said, according to the official FIA transcript. “For me, it needs to be a perfect weekend. The others need to have a poor result, which is unlikely to happen.” He said a meeting with his race engineer, Peter “Bono” Bonnington, that morning had ended with a simple message: “Just have fun.”
He said his title fights in karting and the junior categories had prepared him for the moment, although Formula 1 was a different level. “The pressure is a lot bigger than in anything else,” he said. “But I think when you fight for championships in karting and junior series, the mindset is very similar in the way you approach races and the way you think.”
Those sitting alongside him were full of praise. Hamilton, now at Ferrari, said Antonelli “deserves to be the champion” and joked that his only advice was to “slow down”. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas, who was Mercedes’ reserve driver last year, said Antonelli had shown no “signs of pressure or weakness” as the title fight intensified. “It seems like he’s in his natural position,” Bottas said.
Even if the title does not come in Texas, Antonelli will have further chances, with the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend and the São Paulo Grand Prix to follow. The United States Grand Prix runs from Oct 23 to 25, with qualifying at 4pm local time on Saturday and the 56-lap race starting at 3pm on Sunday, which is 4am on Monday (Oct 26) in Malaysia. The original Formula 1 post can be viewed on X: https://x.com/F1/status/2113411273866063961.
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