Kimi Antonelli Pulls Ahead, Ferrari Is Kicking Itself: The Formula 1 World Championship Standings

Andrea Kimi Antonelli secures the Formula 1 World Championship after the Bahrain Grand Prix, held in Malaysia. In the chaotic race at Sepang—marked by delayed starts, rain, technical issues, and Safety Car interventions—the Mercedes driver kept his cool and finished in second place behind an extraordinary Max Verstappen, solidifying his lead in the overall standings.

The Bologna-born driver avoided all the pitfalls and took full advantage of his teammate George Russell’s retirement, which was caused by a power unit failure. Antonelli now holds an 84-point lead over his closest rival, Russell, in the overall standings.

Plenty of regrets for Ferrari: the Scuderia got its strategy wrong at the start by putting on soft tires, but then recovered by placing Lewis Hamilton on the podium and Charles Leclerc in fourth place. In the overall standings, Hamilton is third with 214 points, ahead of Leclerc, who is fourth with 191. World Champion Lando Norris follows in fifth place with 188 points, tied with Verstappen.

The Formula 1 World Championship Standings (Top Ten)
1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes 320
2 George Russell – Mercedes 236
3 Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari 214
4 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari 191
5 Lando Norris – McLaren 188
6 Max Verstappen – Red Bull 188
7 Oscar Piastri – McLaren 128
8 Isack Hadjar – Red Bull 96
9 Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls 65
10 Pierre Gasly – Alpine 41