Verstappen reaches Austin on two wins, 119 behind Antonelli
Antonelli can clinch the title Sunday if he wins and Russell and Hamilton finish low, but Red Bull has won the last two races.
Max Verstappen arrives in Austin, host of round 18 on the calendar, having won the last two races. The Red Bull driver is fourth in the championship, 119 points behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who can clinch his first title on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Circuit of the Americas. The race starts at 2 p.m. Mexico City time.
To do it, Antonelli has to win, as we explained earlier. In addition, according to Formula1.com, George Russell cannot finish better than ninth and Lewis Hamilton, third in the standings, cannot finish better than fifth. After Singapore, Antonelli has 340 points, 102 more than Russell and 111 more than Hamilton.
Verstappen won in Singapore, where he also took pole and the sprint, and had won the round before it. To stay alive in the championship he needs Antonelli not to outscore him by six points or more in Austin.
Antonelli told Sky Sports F1, in remarks picked up by GPblog, that having Verstappen as a title rival would be "very, very scary." Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, said after the Singapore race, according to Reuters, that an Antonelli win in Austin "is not a likely scenario."
If Antonelli does not win on Sunday, the title will have to wait. The next stop is Mexico, with the Mexico City Grand Prix on Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
