Kimi Antonelli could become Formula 1 world champion as early as Sunday, 1 November, after the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver goes into the weekend with a 123-point lead over George Russell, and he needs only a place in the top nine to secure the title.
How the standings look
According to the pre-race standings described on Wikipedia, Antonelli has 365 points. Second is his teammate George Russell (123 points behind), and third is Lewis Hamilton (124 behind). In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads with 607 points, ahead of Ferrari (474).
Five rounds and 125 points remain in the season. The title may therefore not be decided until after Mexico, because after that race four rounds and 100 points will remain.
What needs to happen on Sunday
The scenarios are simple. If someone other than Russell or Hamilton wins the race, Antonelli becomes champion regardless of his own result and their positions. If Russell or Hamilton wins, the Italian must finish in the top nine.
The portal Grande Prêmio calculates that if Russell wins and Antonelli finishes ninth, his lead would be exactly 100 points. The title would then be decided by the number of race wins, where the Italian has the advantage. Rivals have mathematical chances only in the trio of Antonelli, Russell and Hamilton.
Context: pole position in Austin
Antonelli arrives in Mexico after a strong weekend in the USA. We wrote about this when Antonelli won qualifying in Austin. If he claims the title, it will be his first world championship. Earlier, “Rzeczpospolita” had also described such a scenario.
Dates
The Mexico City Grand Prix takes place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez over the weekend of 30 October to 1 November. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, 31 October, at 15:00 local time (UTC−6), which is Saturday evening in Poland. Its result will set pole position and the starting grid. The race itself will take place on Sunday, 1 November, in the afternoon Mexican time, and in the evening in Poland.
What it means
For Polish fans, this means the title could be decided as early as Sunday evening, rather than only in the last four rounds, the finale of which is scheduled in Abu Dhabi on 6 December. If Antonelli does not finish in the points-paying top nine when Russell or Hamilton wins, the decision will move to a later Grand Prix. The qualifying result will show whether the Italian has a good starting position for such a scenario.
