Antonelli could clinch F1 title in Austin
Kimi Antonelli holds an 84-point lead over George Russell after Russell’s retirement at Sepang, putting the Mercedes driver in position to clinch the 2026 Formula One title as early as the United States Grand Prix in Austin. He cannot secure the championship in Singapore: even a Sprint and Grand Prix double there would leave enough points available for Russell and other contenders, including Lewis Hamilton, to catch him. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has warned that reliability remains a threat, with four reliability-related retirements for the W17 and several failures traced to the battery; a retirement by Antonelli could reopen the title fight. Martin Brundle has questioned whether Mercedes would be emotionally neutral between its drivers as Russell falls behind, though he offered no evidence of favoritism, and Wolff has maintained that the team will let the best man win. Former Ferrari driver René Arnoux has also predicted Antonelli will become champion, citing the driver’s maturity and strong season.
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