F1: Antonelli Sees the World Championship Getting Closer and Closer—History Is on His Side

Kimi Antonelli’s fantastic run toward the World Championship title continues without a hitch. Thanks in part to a bit of luck, the young Mercedes star also triumphed at the Spanish Grand Prix. For the Italian, it was his eighth win of the season.

This victory at Madring has brought him even closer to the mathematical certainty of winning the World Championship. As of today, his lead over second place in the standings—his teammate George Russell—stands at a whopping 81 points.

It’s a decidedly solid lead, even if, as Kimi Antonelli puts it, “…we have to stay focused because anything can happen.” In fact, there is still time and a way for George Russell—or even Lewis Hamilton, though he’s very far behind—to make a comeback, but it would take a true miracle.

History speaks for itself. No one has ever overcome such a deficit in Formula 1. There was James Hunt’s epic comeback against Niki Lauda in 1976 (35 points down with six races to go, when a single victory was worth only nine points), but, all things considered, Kimi Antonelli is truly in pole position for the World Championship. His only rival? The reliability of his Mercedes and potential on-track incidents.