AUSTIN.- In search of his third consecutive victory, Max Verstappen appears as the potential spoilsport of Kimi Antonelli in it United States Grand Prix of the weekend, where the young Italian could be proclaimed early champion of the Formula 1.
The four-time world champion Red Bull won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and then that of Singapore, a streak that projects him as a candidate to sabotage the plans of the pilot of mercedesbarely 20 years old, who was on the verge of winning the title.
Verstappen, who has recognized Antonelli’s generational talent, won the Circuit of the Americas from pole position last year and is going for his fifth victory at the Texan track, where Lewis Hamiltonof Ferrariyou already got that mark.
Despite the good prognosis, the 29-year-old Dutchman has been reluctant to take for granted that Red Bull’s recovery in performance and results will automatically translate into new successes.
“It’s hard to say. I don’t want to say now that I’ll be fighting in Austin,” he said after his victory in Singapore.
“But the last few weekends have been fantastic. I’m going race by race and we’ll see how we do there. It’s a very different circuit.”
The accounts for the title
Verstappen has been on the podium in seven of his last eight races, with two victories and three second places, a recovery that has him in fourth position in the championship, 119 points behind the leader.
For his part, Antonelli has the opportunity to win the title this weekend if he wins the Grand Prix and the necessary results are obtained.
If he achieves this, he would become the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1 and the first from his country since Alberto Ascari, in 1953.
The Italian leads his Mercedes teammate by 102 points, George Russelland to be crowned in Texas He needs to win the race, for Russell not to finish in the top nine and for Hamilton to be out of the top four.
Antonelli was barely four years old when Sebastian Vettel He established in 2010, with Red Bull, the record for the youngest champion in history at 23 years old. The Italian knows that he must maintain concentration and run to win, as he usually does.
“I know it’s very close and that I have it within reach, but I have to make sure I continue giving my best, go out to win and perform in the best way possible,” he said.
“Uncomfortable phase”
Bradley Lorddeputy team manager McLarenturned to tennis to describe Antonelli’s situation: “We are in that awkward phase where you have to deal with the media while everyone tells you: ‘You can get it, you have your first match point.'”
Russell’s options to close the gap with Antonelli could be favored by Verstappen. Hamilton can also become a threat upon returning to one of his favorite circuits, where he will seek his seventh victory in the United States Grand Prix.
The two Mercedes drivers will debut the team’s latest upgrade package for the decisive racing triplet in United States, Mexico and Brazil, although Ferrari and Red Bull could come forward to take the initiative.
These races will be held on bumpy circuits and under hot conditions that can lead to unexpected results, a scenario that Verstappen is already contemplating.
“From what I saw in the race World Endurance Championship in austin, The track is bumpy and I’ll probably have to order a new spine after the weekend. Or become a Robocop. “It’s crazy.”
