Andrea Kimi Antonelli can win the Formula 1 World Championship in two weeks’ time, but admits he would be a lot more concerned if Max Verstappen began his run of form earlier.
The Dutchman took two wins in two Grands Prix with a commanding victory in Singapore – his first in the country.
Along with pole position, it was a ‘clean sweep’ for the Red Bull driver, having taken pole and victory across the Sprint portion of the race weekend.
Antonelli navigated his way through some chaos up ahead and made the most of a comparatively uncompetitive Mercedes package at the Marina Bay Circuit to finish an unlikely third.
It means that the Italian can wrap up the title in Austin next time out provided results go his way, but admitted to Sky Sports F1 that if Verstappen were closer in the title race: “I know it would be very scary.”
Antonelli added: “It would be very, very scary, but all in all, I feel like we’re doing a great job, and if you look at the season, we’ve always been there.”
The W17 has undergone some new upgrades since Malaysia, and as a result, the Silver Arrows’ rivals have come into view a little more then they’d have liked.
Antonelli admitted that he and the German marque are “trying to understand this new package,” adding: “But I am very proud of the team this weekend because we pushed through the difficulties and started to find light at the end of the tunnel.
“So it is just a matter of time, and now we go to Austin, which is a normal weekend, a standard weekend, where we can hopefully make a lot of changes and understand this package more.”
Antonelli will create history by winning the title this year, as he would overtake Sebastian Vettel’s 16-year record of being the youngest-ever Drivers’ Champion.
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