Andrea Kimi Antonelli conveyed his surprised that he can wrap up the Formula 1 World Championship at the next round in the United States.
The Italian has been a revelation this season, overcoming a difficult maiden campaign to having led this year’s title race for all but two weekends.
Antonelli finished a surprise third – overcoming performance issues from his Mercedes package – in Singapore, with George Russell completing an admirable drive from last to ninth.
The 20-year-old capitalised on a battle between Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in front of him to leapfrog both drivers to snatch the final podium spot.
And speaking in parc ferme after the race, acknowledged the battle up ahead gave him the unlikely chance to take third place.
“Yeah, I mean, it was a very tough race out there, but really happy with the podium at the end,” he said. “I managed to take advantage of the fight of Lando and Lewis and to make the move on both and to bring home P3 is a great result for the team.
“And yeah, very happy with that.”
With Russell’s ninth place, the deficit is therefore now 102 points between the two Silver Arrows drivers, meaning that depending on the results at the Circuit of the Americas in two weeks’ time, Antonelli could clinch the title there.
When informed of this by parc ferme host Jenson Button, Antonelli admitted he was not aware, but issued a bullish statement ahead of the opportunity to become the sport’s youngest-ever champion.
“Can I? Really?!” he said. “Well, let’s not worry about that. Let’s try to do the best weekend as possible and finish the job.”
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