ANTONELLI REACTS AS SINGAPORE P3 PUTS HIM ON BRINK OF TITLE

Kimi Antonelli can wrap up the 2026 world title in Austin. The Mercedes rookie's third-place finish in Singapore — combined with George Russell's P9 recovery drive from the grid's back row — stretched his championship lead to 102 points with six rounds left. If Antonelli leaves COTA 125 points clear, the crown is his. When told the math after the race, he seemed genuinely surprised: "Can I? Really? Let's not worry about that!"

Antonelli climbed from fourth to third by capitalizing on a late scrap between Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris. Mercedes made measurable progress dialing in its latest upgrade package while Russell ran the older spec. Antonelli struggled on the medium compound but flew on softs, calling the weekend a turnaround after a rough start. "We're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this package," he said. Now the Italian rookie gets his first shot at sealing it on American soil.