It has been a remarkable rise to the summit of Formula 1 for Kimi Antonelli.
The young Italian entered F1 in 2025, replacing the mercurial Lewis Hamilton at the team he won six World Drivers' Championships and eight World Constructors' Championships with. A nigh-on thankless task, Antonelli quickly rose to the occasion as the third-youngest Formula 1 driver ever, became the third-youngest podium finisher ever in Canada, and grabbed two more podiums in his debut season.
Then, in 2026, everything clicked. Mercedes built a fantastic car, the W17, and Antonelli dominated from the get-go.
After a second-place finish in Melbourne, Antonelli won five races in a row and built a comfortable lead in the standings over teammate George Russell. As of the Singapore Grand Prix, Antonelli has finished on the podium in 14 of the 17 races, making these the current standings:
1. Kimi Antonelli (340 points)
2. George Russell (238 points)
3. Lewis Hamilton (229 points)
4. Max Verstappen (221 points)
5. Charles Leclerc (215 points)
6. Lando Norris (201 points)
With just six Grands Prix left in the 2026 Formula 1 season, Kimi Antonelli is on match point as we head to Austin for the United States Grand Prix, but what does he need to win the World Drivers' Championship and become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history? Flashscore explains.
How Kimi Antonelli can win the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship
After finishing third in the Singapore Grand Prix and seeing George Russell, his closest title rival, finish fifth, Kimi Antonelli currently leads the World Drivers' Championship by 102 points.
After the United States Grand Prix, a maximum of 125 points remain to be won.
That means that if Kimi Antonelli wants to win the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship in Austin, he will have to increase his lead by 23 points. This is the only situation in which that would happen:
• Kimi Antonelli wins the race;
• George Russell finishes ninth or lower;
• Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower.
A win at the Circuit of the Americas would automatically eliminate Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris from championship contention.
If these three scenarios come true, Kimi Antonelli would become the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history at 20 years and 61 days old, usurping Sebastian Vettel. Antonelli would also become the third Italian world champion in the sport's history, and the first since the legendary Alberto Ascari won in 1953.
What happens if two drivers finish tied on points?
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton could theoretically still finish the season level on points with Antonelli even if the Italian wins in Austin. Antonelli would carry at least a 108-point lead into Mexico, enough to win the championship there, but he could theoretically DNF in all five remaining races, so what then?
When two or more drivers finish the season tied on points, the tiebreaker goes to the driver with the most wins that season.
With a win in Austin, Antonelli would reach nine Grand Prix wins for the season. With five races left after the United States Grand Prix, neither Russell (3 wins) nor Hamilton (1 win) could match Antonelli, giving him a clear tiebreaker edge.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, October 25th, at 22.00 CEST.
Paul Winters is Flashscore's Netherlands country manager, having previously worked for Flashscore's Netherlands desk. Paul is an expert on the Eredivisie and also specialises in the NFL, as well as a plethora of other sports. Residing in 'sunny' Katwijk, you can follow all of the news from the Netherlands here.
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