Antonelli Takes First Shot at 2026 F1 Title in Austin

Kimi Antonelli will arrive at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas with his first mathematical opportunity to secure the 2026 Formula 1 world title after taking a podium finish in Singapore.

Antonelli is 102 points clear with six rounds remaining and 150 points still available. If he leaves the next round in Austin with a lead of at least 125 points over his nearest rival, the title will be beyond reach.

The Italian’s latest result came at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he climbed from fourth to third in Sunday’s race. His team mate’s run to ninth from the back of the grid also contributed to the championship picture, leaving Antonelli in a position to turn a commanding advantage into a decisive one at the next event.

When told that he could wrap up the championship in Austin, Antonelli initially responded with surprise before shifting his focus back to the remaining work. “Can I? Really? Let’s not worry about that! Let’s try to do the best weekends possible and finish the job,” he said.

Singapore podium puts title within reach

Antonelli’s third place in Singapore was earned after a late-race change in the order ahead of him. He took advantage when a Ferrari and another car became involved in a scrap during the closing stages, moving up from his fourth-place starting position.

The result was also significant for Mercedes after a weekend in which the team appeared to make progress in understanding its latest car upgrades. Antonelli ran the newer package, while Russell reverted to an older specification.

Antonelli described a race that changed noticeably across the tyre compounds. He said he felt very good on the soft tyre, struggled on the medium, and then found strong pace when he returned to the soft compound late on.

“It was not easy out there,” Antonelli said. “I felt very good on the soft [tyre], but on the medium I struggled a lot. Then on the soft the pace was very good at the end; it was very, very good, so that’s a positive.”

He added that there remains work to do despite the encouraging finish in Singapore. “However, there’s still lots of work to do. The team did a great job on trying to turn [things] around, especially the car. I think we can be very happy and proud of the job we did, especially looking at how we started the weekend.”

Mercedes seek to build on upgrade progress

For Antonelli, the immediate priority is not the championship arithmetic but getting the most from the Mercedes package over each of the six remaining rounds. He said his role is to deliver the best possible performance while helping the team work through the car’s remaining difficulties.

“I try to do the best with what I have, try to help the team as much as possible, and really just try to do the best job as possible, and trying to on my side even overcome some difficulties with the car,” he said.

Antonelli believes Mercedes are beginning to identify how to extract more from the latest package. “I can say that we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this package, and it’s just a matter of understanding which one is the best window, how to put the car in the best window, in order to extract the maximum out of the package.”

Austin now offers Antonelli a chance to complete the job early. Whether the title is settled there or later, his Singapore podium has ensured that the 2026 championship is firmly in his hands.