Antonelli world champion, F1 arrives in Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has mathematically secured the Formula 1 drivers’ world title with Mercedes, following the Mexican Grand Prix. This is reported by Motorionline and OA Sport. This is a story that this morning’s edition had not yet reported, separate from the Champions League news published this morning.

The championship, already mathematically decided in Antonelli’s favor, now arrives in Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend of November 6-8, with the race set for Sunday, November 8.

Behind the new champion, the battle for second place in the drivers’ standings remains wide open: Max Verstappen currently holds second position with 261 points, just two more than Lewis Hamilton, third with 259 points. The narrow margin between the two drivers makes the Brazilian weekend a direct test to determine who will finish the season in second place.

Antonelli’s title therefore comes before the end of the championship, a circumstance not uncommon in Formula 1 when the accumulated points lead exceeds what is still at stake in the remaining races. The situation leaves the remaining races — starting with the one in Interlagos — with the task of determining only the positions behind the winner.

The Interlagos circuit therefore hosts an event that, while having lost the element of uncertainty over the world title, retains full sporting interest in the fight behind the champion. Verstappen and Hamilton arrive in Brazil separated by a minimal margin, in a direct contest for the season’s runner-up position.

It remains to be seen whether Verstappen’s position, currently holding a two-point lead over Hamilton, will withstand the test of the Brazilian track or whether the British driver will manage to overturn the minimal gap separating the two drivers in third place in the overall standings.