‘It was the result that we needed’: Antonelli confident of winning F1 title ‘very soon’

Austin, Oct 26 (IANS) Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has history in his sights, having moved closer to a record-breaking Formula 1 title after winning the United States Grand Prix.

A one-stop pit strategy turned out to be a masterstroke from Mercedes as Antonelli won the race from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for his ninth win of the season.

Reflecting on the race, Antonelli stated that this was what he wanted and now he aims to clinch the title very soon. “It was the result we needed. The whole team deserves it so much, and all this time putting in so much work on bringing this new package and finally seeing the result is very pleasant,” Antonelli said after the race, as quoted by F1.

“It was also perfect execution from strategy to call the one-stop so I’m really happy we made it stick, and it was a great team effort,” he added.

His closest title rivals had a struggling race, with Lewis Hamilton coming in fourth and teammate George Russell returning in eighth. The victory put the Italian 123 points clear of his closest rival in Russell, giving him a huge chance to win the title in the next round in Mexico.

The 20-year-old will become the youngest driver in F1 history to win the title if he does not lose more than 23 points to Russell and not more than 24 to Hamilton. With the title now less than an arm’s length away, the Italian wants to finish on a high note.

“We’re very close, but we’ll try to finish on a high, and hopefully we can clinch it very soon. I’m very excited. I would love to clinch the title in style with a great result.

“That’s the mindset. That’s always the mindset, and that’s what the mindset is going to be from now until the end of the season. I’m just going to try to enjoy every moment because they’re moments that will always be remembered,” he added.

–IANS

vm/vi