Kimi Antonelli will have his first chance to win the Formula 1 world championship at the United States Grand Prix after extending his lead to 102 points in Singapore.
The Mercedes driver finished third at Marina Bay, while nearest rival George Russell recovered from 19th on the grid to ninth. Antonelli now has 340 points to Russell’s 238, with Lewis Hamilton a further nine points behind on 229.
It is a significant change from the position at the start of the weekend, when our look at the F1 title race before the Singapore Sprint had Antonelli 84 points clear with 183 still available. There will be 125 points available after Austin and Antonelli needs to leave Texas at least that far clear of his rivals to secure the title.
The simplest route is victory. If Antonelli wins the United States Grand Prix, Russell must finish eighth or higher and Hamilton fourth or higher to keep the championship alive.
What Antonelli needs to win the title in Austin
| Driver | Result |
|---|---|
| Kimi Antonelli | 1st |
| George Russell | 9th or lower |
| Lewis Hamilton | 5th or lower |
All three need to happen for Antonelli to become champion in Austin. Victory would take Antonelli to 365 points. If Russell finishes ninth, he would have 240 and trail by exactly 125 with 125 remaining.
That would still be enough for Antonelli. Victory in Austin would ensure Russell could not beat him on the countback of Grand Prix wins if the pair somehow ended the season level on points.
Hamilton also remains close enough to delay the title. He is 111 points behind Antonelli after his Singapore Grand Prix strategy gamble ended with sixth place. If Antonelli wins in Austin, fifth place would leave Hamilton 126 points behind. Fourth or better would keep him within reach.
What about Verstappen?
Max Verstappen’s recent run has come too late to affect Antonelli’s Austin calculation if the Mercedes driver wins. Verstappen has won the past two Grands Prix, following his breakthrough at Sepang by taking his first Singapore Grand Prix victory. That has moved him to 221 points, 119 behind Antonelli.
But even second place in Austin would leave Verstappen on 239 if Antonelli won. The gap would be 126 points with only 125 available. Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are further behind, meaning Russell and Hamilton would be the only drivers capable of extending the championship fight if Antonelli wins.
How Singapore put Antonelli within reach of the title
Antonelli arrived at Marina Bay 84 points ahead of Russell but gained ground on his team-mate in both races. Russell had looked well placed to make inroads after qualifying second for the Sprint, while Antonelli started seventh. Instead, Russell passed Verstappen for the lead before crashing on the opening lap of the rain-hit Singapore Sprint.
Antonelli recovered to fourth and took five points, moving his championship advantage to 89 before Sunday’s race. His weekend improved again in Grand Prix qualifying. After struggling relative to Russell on Friday, Antonelli reversed the Mercedes order and qualified fourth, less than two tenths from pole, as we covered in our Singapore GP qualifying report.
Antonelli then finished third behind Verstappen and Leclerc on Sunday. Russell, starting 19th after power-unit penalties, recovered to ninth and scored two points.
Across the two races, Antonelli gained 18 points on Russell. A weekend which began with questions over his pace in Mercedes’ upgraded car ended with his first chance to become world champion arriving at the very next round.
Antonelli surprised by title chance
Antonelli appeared unaware after the race that he could become world champion in Austin. “Can I? Really?” he said when the possibility was put to him. “Let’s not worry about that! Let’s try to do the best weekends possible and finish the job.”
Formula 1’s official post-Singapore championship analysis confirms that Antonelli needs to leave Austin at least 125 points clear to secure the championship.
Antonelli has led the standings since the third round in Japan. Singapore has brought the possibility of wrapping up the championship considerably earlier than might have seemed likely only a few races ago.
F1 standings after the Singapore Grand Prix
| Pos | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | 340 | — |
| 2 | George Russell | 238 | -102 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 229 | -111 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | 221 | -119 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 215 | -125 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 201 | -139 |
The full championship picture is available through the official Formula 1 standings. Six Grands Prix remain, starting with the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas from 23–25 October. The official F1 calendar has the remaining dates and weekend schedule.
Antonelli does not need to win in Austin and remains firmly in control even if the championship moves on to Mexico. But if he does take victory in Texas, Russell and Hamilton will need strong finishes of their own to prevent the title being decided.
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