AUSTIN, Texas – As the post-Classic buzz began to die down in the paddock here at the Circuit of the Americas, Kimi Antonelli made his way from the media center following the FIA press conference to the paddock club upstairs, flanked by Mercedes team personnel and onlookers.
With every step he took, he got closer to history.
But none of those strides were bigger than the ones he made in the previous hour, as he turned in a thunderous lap at the start of Q3 to claim pole position for Sunday’s US Grand Prix. Antonelli can clinch his first Formula One Drivers’ Championship with a win on Sunday – and a little help – and while the title may seem like a formality given the time left in the season and how close he is to it, as the sun set in the Western sky on Saturday evening, it looked like it was indeed within his grasp.
However, with pole position secured moments after getting out of the car, Antonelli found a way to entertain himself.
“It was surprising, but also one of the biggest achievements for me today is that I didn’t run the track limits,” said Antonelli, referring to his and the rest of the grid’s track limits during two practice sessions on Friday.
“So that made our lives a little bit easier, you know, I didn’t push myself and we were able to just push through the session and build from there. But it was definitely unexpected, we knew it was going to be close, but yeah, it was a good surprise.”
If team-mate George Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower, Antonelli can win the title on Sunday. But with Hamilton set to start fifth and Russell alongside him in sixth, the chaos of Turn 1 at the Circuit of the Americas could give Antonelli the cushion he needs.
Provided that he passes the 1st turn himself.
On Saturday evening, Antonelli focused on having a good day at tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
“I’m just going to try to do the best race I can,” Antonelli said. “We’ll try to win and then we’ll see what happens. But you know, it’s good to end the day like this.
“But of course tomorrow will be a new day. Max [Verstappen] it was too soon. Isaac [Hadjar]it was also very fast. It’s just, yeah, I’ve got to get off to a good start and then we’ll see what we can do from there.”
While Antonelli admits things feel “different” now that he could win the title on Sunday, the mindset remains the same.
“I mean, he feels a bit different,” Antonelli said when asked by BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson whether his approach would change on Sunday. “But the goal remains the same. I just have to keep doing my job and I actually feel like I can enjoy the driving more. We still have to race tomorrow, we still have to try and win and then of course we’ll see what happens, but yeah, I just feel like I can enjoy it a little bit more.
“Because I’m in a really good position, but I still have the same mindset.”
Antonelli’s hard work and sophisticated mental mindset put him in this good position. As he spoke about on Thursday, he has been able to come back even stronger from the rare moments he’s put a foot wrong this season, such as when he suffered a massive crash in FP3 at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. He returned to qualifying well and finished second in the race to start the season on the front foot.
The first big step in a season full of them.
Now, after another big step in Austin on Saturday, he’s on the verge of something even bigger on Sunday.
A title and some F1 history, as the youngest champion in the history of the sport.