KIMI ANTONELLI WAS LEFT STUNNED BY JENSON BUTTON’S TITLE BOMBSHELL — THE MERCEDES STAR IS CLOSER TO F1 HISTORY THAN HE REALISED

Kimi Antonelli thought he knew how close he was to becoming Formula One’s youngest-ever world champion. Then Jenson Button told him just how soon history could be within reach.

The Mercedes sensation strengthened his grip on the championship with third place at the Singapore Grand Prix, extending his advantage over team-mate George Russell to 102 points after the Briton could manage only ninth.

The result has put Antonelli, 20, in a position to mathematically secure the title at the next race in Austin — a prospect that appeared to catch him by surprise when 2009 world champion Button brought it to his attention after the race.

For a driver who has spent the season chasing performance and navigating setbacks, the possibility of making history is suddenly becoming very real.

‘IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME NOW’

Asked whether he could finally dare to dream of championship glory, Antonelli acknowledged how close he had come — while insisting that the job was not finished.

“For sure. I know it’s very close, I know it’s 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. If I don’t do my job well, the result won’t come,” he said.

His confidence comes after a difficult stretch for Mercedes. Antonelli has not won any of the last three races, with the team’s latest upgrade failing to deliver the improvement it had hoped for.

Singapore, however, offered signs of a breakthrough.

“I’m very proud of the team this weekend because we’ve pushed through the difficulties and started to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Antonelli said.

“It’s just a matter of time now. We go back to Austin and it’s a normal, standard weekend where we can hopefully make a lot of changes and understand this package more.”

That optimism could prove crucial as the championship enters its decisive phase. Mercedes appears to have made progress, and Antonelli now has a substantial points cushion to protect.

GEORGE RUSSELL’S MISFORTUNE DEEPENS THE GAP

While Antonelli strengthened his championship position, Russell endured another frustrating weekend.

The British driver had already crashed while leading the Sprint race and knew he would start the Grand Prix from the back following engine penalties. He fought his way through the field but finished ninth, with the virtual safety car timing adding to his difficulties.

“It was always going to be very difficult coming from the back,” Russell admitted.

“It’s been a bit of a shame, these last two weekends – it could have panned out very differently. A little bit the story of the season, everything just not going in a fantastic way. I’m very much looking forward to the break now.”

Russell also revealed that another grid drop was likely later in the season, potentially at Las Vegas, where Mercedes hopes to choose a more suitable circuit for taking the penalty.

His result in Singapore leaves him with a significant deficit to his team-mate at precisely the moment Antonelli is closing in on the biggest prize in the sport.

TOTO WOLFF SEES THE NUMBERS — BUT REFUSES TO CELEBRATE EARLY

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged how difficult Russell’s recovery had been at the Marina Bay Circuit, where overtaking is notoriously challenging.

“He pulled off some really great moves but, at the end, it’s just converging with the performance and, even with a car that is a second or a second and a half off the pace, you just can’t overtake,” Wolff explained.

On Antonelli’s championship prospects, Wolff was equally clear-eyed. The 102-point gap has put the young Italian in an exceptionally strong position, but the team principal is unwilling to treat the title as a certainty.

“You look at the numbers and, if you ask me the probability of him winning, it’s probably close to 100 percent,” he said.

“But this is motor racing: You can break down or have accidents and things start to stress, so we need to look at it race by race and make sure we continue to score points.”

Wolff also praised the points haul in Singapore, noting that Mercedes had not expected to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton given Ferrari’s pace.

For the team, the priority remains consistency rather than allowing the championship calculations to become a distraction.

AUSTIN COULD BECOME AN HISTORIC WEEKEND

Antonelli’s position has transformed the outlook for the next round. With his lead now standing at 102 points, he has the opportunity to secure the championship in Austin if the mathematical conditions fall in his favour.

Doing so would make him Formula One’s youngest-ever world champion — a milestone that would cement his place in the sport’s history.

Yet Button’s post-race revelation also serves as a reminder of how quickly the situation has changed. After three races without a victory, Antonelli is no longer simply trying to win individual Grands Prix. He is approaching the point where the championship itself could be decided.

The Mercedes driver insists he must keep performing, Russell is searching for a way to end his run of bad luck, and Wolff is determined to avoid complacency.

Antonelli may be only one strong weekend away from history — but with the title within reach, the pressure on Mercedes is about to rise.