Can I? Really? That was the genuinely startled reaction from Kimi Antonelli when informed that his latest podium finish has put him on the absolute brink of sealing the 2026 F1 world title.
Following Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc home at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the Mercedes driver climbed from fourth to third in Sunday's race. He capitalized brilliantly during the closing stages when a scrap broke out between the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
That stunning result leaves Antonelli sitting 102 points clear at the top of the standings with just six rounds remaining. With 150 points still up for grabs, the Italian can put the championship beyond doubt if he leaves the upcoming round at Austin's Circuit of The Americas 125 points or more ahead of his nearest rival. Meanwhile, Mercedes team mate George Russell fought his way to a ninth-place finish after starting from the back of the grid.
Speaking after the race, Antonelli kept his feet firmly on the ground regarding the championship picture. "Let's not worry about that! Let's try to do the best weekends possible and finish the job," he said.
The weekend also highlighted clear progress for Mercedes in understanding their latest car upgrades, even as Russell reverted to an older package. Antonelli admitted that the race itself was far from straightforward on the asphalt, noting that while he felt very good on the soft tyre, he struggled a lot on the medium.
Thankfully, the pace returned in style on the soft compound at the end. The team executed a fantastic turnaround from how the weekend originally started, and Antonelli feels they are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this package as they learn how to put the car in the best window to extract maximum performance.
