Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

Kimi Antonelli did everything right at the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA): on Saturday he clinched the seventh Formula 1 pole position of his career and on Sunday his ninth win of the season.

As Kimi sped across the finish line, an American journalist blurted out: “Is he World Champion now, or what?” No, he isn’t.

That’s because the condition ahead of the World Championship race in Texas was: if Kimi wins (ticked off), Lewis Hamilton must not finish higher than fifth and George Russell must not finish higher than ninth. However, Hamilton finished fourth and Russell eighth.

So that means: the corks won’t be popping (in all likelihood) until a week later, at the Mexican Grand Prix on 1 November.

Kimi now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 123 points ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell and by 124 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. As things stand (i.e. with the final two World Championship races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi), there are still 125 points up for grabs in the remaining five Grands Prix.

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

Mathias Brunner

Read More

TV Program

Live

Mexico City: Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

01.11.2026 - 23:15

In other words: Russell would have to win all five of these races, whilst Kimi could only score two points across those five races. Hamilton would have to win five times, and Kimi could only pick up a single point.

To put it another way: Kimi Antonelli must score two points (9th place) in Mexico, and then it’s all decided, regardless of what his last two remaining rivals do.

If neither Russell nor Hamilton wins, Antonelli will also be champion, regardless of the Italian’s result.

Max Verstappen can no longer become champion; Mexico 2026 will be the first race since November 2020 in which the Dutchman has no bearing on the outcome of the World Championship.

Kimi Antonelli isn’t changing a single thing about his World Championship approach for Mexico: “I’m approaching this with the same mindset as I have all season – I want to have fun, and I want to achieve the best possible result; hopefully I can be in the running for the win. It would be nice to cap it off with a win, but ultimately I just want to enjoy the whole experience.”

“I’m really lucky because I’ve got a great group of people around me. In the team, I’ve got my dad, who always comes to the races, and then my performance coach. I’ve got fabulous people around me who help me to be more relaxed and not worry.”

“They help me block out all the distractions, and that’s also why I’m able to enjoy a weekend like this. I won’t lie – on Thursday there was a lot of talk here in Texas about my potential title win and so on. I tried not to let it get to me and to focus entirely on the job at hand.”

Perhaps, all things considered, it was actually quite all right that Kimi didn’t clinch the title in Texas. The legal age at which someone in Texas can buy, possess or consume alcohol in public is 21.

In Mexico, you’re allowed to do so from the age of 18.