AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kimi Antonelli came to the United States Grand Prix with his eyes on a Formula 1 season championship getting closer with every race.
asserted
championship → come → race
On Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, he’ll have the clearest view possible of the path to get there.
asserted
he → have → path
And it could come fast.
uncertain
it → come → ?
Mercedes’ championship leader earned a surprise pole position on Saturday, edging Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
asserted
leader → earn → Verstappen
If he can turn that into a victory, and his closest rivals falter, the 20-year-old Italian could win the season title and become F1’s youngest champion ever.
uncertain
Italian → turn → title
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton looked faster than Mercedes through all three practice sessions.
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Leclerc → look → sessions
Then Antonelli put in a late-afternoon wonder lap at COTA to earn his first pole position since Belgium, a span of seven races..
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Antonelli → put → races
“It was surprising,” Antonelli said.
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Antonelli → say → ?
“I’m just going to try to do the best race I can, try to win and see what happens.”
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what → go → race
The math for a season championship requires some help but achievable.
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math → require → help
First he must win.
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he → win → ?
If he does that, and Mercedes teammate George Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Hamilton finishes outside the top four, Antonelli will be champion.
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Antonelli → do → four
Hamilton will start fourth, with Russell sixth.
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Russell → start → ?
“Just get a good start and see from there what we can do,” Antonelli said.
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Antonelli → get → what
That’s the first job.
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That → ’ → ?
He’ll be battling Verstappen into the first corner, an uphill, left turn switchback that can wreak havoc on the field and often does.
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that → battle → field
Verstappen is a four-time champion who has won four times at COTA.
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who → win → COTA
He also won the previous two races in Malaysia and Singapore and is trying to chase every victory he can in a season when the championship is out of reach.
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championship → win → reach
Verstappen didn’t offer Antonelli any advice about how to approach the race so close to the championship.
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Verstappen → offer → championship
He has won titles in seasons that went to the final laps, and others where he dominated.
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he → win → laps
“He doesn’t need that.
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He → need → that
He knows what he’s doing, If it doesn’t happen this weekend, it will happen next weekend, or the next weekend,” Verstappen said.
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Verstappen → know → what
“When it’s official, go celebrate.”
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it → ’ → ?
Antonelli’s championship does appear inevitable as the season heads into the final six races.
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season → appear → races
Antonelli leads Russell by 102 points and Hamilton by 111.
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Antonelli → lead → 111
He built the large lead through the first half of a remarkably consistent season that included five wins in the first six races.
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that → build → races
Russell and Hamilton will be trying to hang on Sunday to keep the championship going another week.
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Russell → try → championship
Russell started the season as Mercedes’ No. 1 driver.
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Russell → start → driver
He won the first race but couldn’t keep up.
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He → win → race
“It’s a long race and a lot happens here in Austin,” Russell told Sky Sports.
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Russell → ’ → Sports
And Leclerc didn’t count himself out of winning.
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Leclerc → count → himself
He noted his victory at COTA in 2024 from the second row of the starting grid.
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He → note → grid
“I strongly believe we had the pace to be fighting at the front,” Leclerc said.
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Leclerc → believe → front
“The last time I started from fourth here I won.
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I → start → fourth
I hope we can do the same tomorrow.”
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we → hope → same
Hard to keep cars on the track
The entire field struggled through all three practice sessions and qualifying to keep the cars on the track, enough so that it will be worth watching to see if any get warnings in Sunday’s race.
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any → keep → race
Race officials deleted more than 200 lap times across Friday’s two practices.
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officials → delete → practices
On Saturday, Leclerc lost a time that would have given him a clean sweep of all three sessions.
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that → lose → sessions
Colton Herta gets closer to super license for F1 future
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Herta → get → F1
Cadillac’s American reserve driver Colton Herta took part in Friday practice to earn another point toward being licensed to race in F1 in hopes of joining the grid next season.
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driver → take → grid
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
