Antonelli can wrap up the title on 25 October at the Circuit of the Americas. He leads teammate George Russell by 102 points, with 150 still on the table across the final six rounds, according to the official Formula 1 standings.
Verstappen is 119 points back in fourth, effectively out of the title fight. The margin, though, is not what has been catching the paddock’s eye. The four-time champion has won two of the last three races plus the Singapore Sprint, trimming 28 points off Antonelli’s lead across the recent triple-header before dominating Marina Bay.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 after the Singapore Grand Prix whether he was glad Verstappen was not within striking range, Antonelli did not hedge.
“Yeah, because it would be very scary,” he said. “It would be very, very scary.”
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Austin math: win, and Russell ninth
Antonelli finished third in Singapore and conceded he had been off his own standard.
“I think this weekend I haven’t particularly driven that well. I felt like I could have done a better job,” he said.
To close the title out this weekend, he needs to win and have Russell finish ninth or lower, per Motorsport.com’s calculation. Anything short of that pushes the decision on to Mexico City the weekend after.
He insisted the arithmetic has not changed how he is approaching the race.
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“For sure,” he said when asked if the championship was on his mind. “But at the same time, I know it’s very close, I know it’s there, but I just need to make sure that I keep doing the best I can.”
Mercedes still digesting its new package
Mercedes has spent the last few events trying to understand an upgrade package that has not immediately clicked, and Antonelli said Austin should give the team the standard sessions it needs to make headway.
“Obviously we have had a great car and now we are trying to understand this new package. I’m very proud of the team this weekend because we pushed through the difficulties and started to see life at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
“Now we go to Austin, a normal weekend, where we can hopefully do a lot of changes and understand the package more.”
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The Italian, who turned 20 in August, goes into round 19 with eight wins and 14 podiums on his 2026 scorecard. The United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is on Sunday, 25 October.
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