Antonelli can dare to dream after edging to brink of drivers' title

The Italian claimed the final step of the podium after a late charge, to stretch his advantage over nearest challenger George Russell

12 Oct 2026 10:40am

Third-placed Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli lifts his trophy as he celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on October 11, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

SINGAPORE - Kimi Antonelli admits he can now dare to dream after moving to the brink of the world championship in Singapore, PA Media/dpa reported.

Max Verstappen clinched back-to-back wins, his first in Singapore, on his 250th Formula 1 start. His dominant display capped a perfect weekend which also included a sprint victory and two pole positions.

While his commanding drive was reminiscent of his title-winning prowess, it came towards the end of a difficult season for Red Bull in which he remains 119 points adrift of runaway leader Antonelli.

The Italian claimed the final step of the podium after a late charge, to stretch his advantage over nearest challenger George Russell - who clinched ninth from last on the grid - to 102 points.

That means Antonelli could become the sport’s youngest world champion, aged just 20, at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas in a fortnight. He would need to be 126 points clear following that event - assuming all six scheduled rounds are completed, a doubt due to the conflict in West Asia.

Lewis Hamilton is also part of the equation, sitting 111 points off the lead.

The Mercedes driver was informed that he was now on the cusp of history by former world champion Jenson Button in the post-race interviews. "Can I? Really?! Well, let’s not worry about that,” Antonelli responded.

But he later confessed that the dream is now nearly a reality.

Antonelli said: "For sure (I can dare to dream). I know it is very close, I know it is there but I need to make sure that I keep doing the best job I can. To go out there and win and perform the best I can.

"This weekend I don’t feel like I have driven that well, I feel like I could have done a better job.

"Looking forward to be back in Austin but, at the end of the day, if I don’t do my job well the result won’t come.”

Russell, whose title hopes were further derailed after crashing out of Saturday’s sprint, a week on from an engine failure in Malaysia, started from the back due to a power-unit change and could only recover to take two points. - BERNAMA