How Kimi Antonelli will handle the stress of securing the F1 championship at the US GP

To achieve this, he must secure a win while hoping Russell finishes ninth or lower; otherwise, the battle for the championship will likely extend to Mexico at the end of October, making the chances of a title win in Austin quite slim.

When questioned at Marina Bay about his thoughts on the title in Austin, the 20-year-old responded: “Absolutely. But at the same time, I realize it’s very close, I know it’s within reach, yet I must ensure that I continue to give my best effort.

“The approach remains unchanged: to go out there and win while performing to the best of my ability. I believe this past weekend I didn’t drive particularly well. I felt I could have accomplished more.

“However, I’m confident that with a week to reset, I’m really excited to return to Austin.

“Ultimately, if I don’t execute my role effectively, the results won’t follow. Therefore, to attain my goals, I need to perform—that’s as straightforward as it gets.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

The groundwork for his title pursuit was laid early in the season as Mercedes achieved a commanding start following the regulation change, winning the first six races from pole, with Antonelli claiming five of those victories.

Ferrari and McLaren later introduced various upgrades to narrow the gap, resulting in Antonelli winning only three of the subsequent nine races before a Baku update in September saw Red Bull become a contender.

Max Verstappen has since won the last two races from pole position, along with the Singapore sprint, while Mercedes is still working to comprehend the update it implemented in Sepang last weekend.

Antonelli can be relieved that Red Bull had a slow start to the year, securing just one podium in the first five races; otherwise, the challenge from four-time world champion Verstappen would be more formidable.

“It would be quite intimidating,” he shared with Sky Sports when asked about the scenario of Verstappen being less than 119 points behind at this juncture.

“It would indeed be very, very intimidating. But overall, I feel we’re doing an excellent job. When you reflect on the season, we’ve consistently been in the mix.

“Clearly, we've had a fantastic car, and now we’re working to grasp this new package, yet I’m very proud of the team this weekend because we persevered through challenges and are beginning to see a glimmer of improvement.

“So, it’s just a matter of time. We’re heading back to Austin again for a standard weekend, where we can hopefully make significant adjustments and gain a better understanding of this package.”