Kimi Antonelli admitted that Max Verstappen’s recent resurgence would be “very scary” if the Red Bull driver were closer in the Formula 1 championship, following another dominant victory for the Dutchman at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Mercedes driver finished third at Marina Bay, behind Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, after overtaking Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton during the closing stages. The result strengthened Antonelli’s position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship and brought him closer to securing his first world title.
Verstappen, meanwhile, completed a remarkable weekend with victories in both the sprint and Grand Prix, following his success at Sepang the previous weekend. The Red Bull driver’s improved form has made him one of the strongest competitors in the final stages of the season, although his championship deficit remains substantial.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 whether he was relieved that Verstappen was not closer in the standings, Antonelli acknowledged the threat posed by the four-time world champion.
“It would be very scary, it would be very, very scary,” Antonelli said.
The Italian nevertheless emphasised that Mercedes’ consistency throughout the season had been fundamental to its championship position.
“But all in all I feel like we’re doing a great job. At the end you look at the season and we’ve always been there so obviously we’ve had a great car and now we’re trying to understand this new package but I’m very proud of the team this weekend because we pushed through the difficulties and we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The comments came after Verstappen secured another victory in Singapore, while Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praised the Dutchman’s performances across two contrasting circuits.
Antonelli explains how he overtook Norris and Hamilton
Antonelli’s third place required a recovery through the leading group after he had been running sixth during the race. The Italian capitalised on Hamilton’s difficulties and positioned his Mercedes to overtake Norris before passing the Ferrari driver, securing another important podium.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Antonelli explained that he had identified an opportunity as Hamilton began to struggle.
“Yeah, obviously Lewis was struggling a lot and I knew I had a good chance after turn one and just took advantage of it and set my move and the way I positioned myself in the car and after that I was able to first pass Lando which was crucial and then pass Lewis afterwards.”
The overtakes proved significant for Antonelli’s championship campaign. His third-place finish earned him 15 points, while Mercedes teammate George Russell recovered to ninth after starting near the back of the grid.
Antonelli had also encountered a concern during the Grand Prix, reporting that he could feel something leaking around his feet on lap 31. Despite the radio message, he continued racing and eventually secured the podium.
The Italian’s performance was particularly encouraging for Mercedes after a difficult weekend understanding its latest aerodynamic developments.
Mercedes sees progress with new package ahead of Austin
Mercedes arrived in Singapore still evaluating the aerodynamic package introduced at Sepang. Antonelli retained the newer specification, while Russell reverted to an earlier configuration after struggling with the update.
Although the team remained behind Red Bull and Ferrari in the final classification, Antonelli believes Mercedes made meaningful progress in understanding its latest developments.
The championship leader acknowledged that the team had encountered difficulties but suggested that its work was beginning to produce answers.
“So it’s just a matter of time. Now we go back to Austin, again a normal weekend where we can hopefully do a lot of changes and understand more of this package,” Antonelli said.
His assessment suggests Mercedes intends to use the United States Grand Prix to continue evaluating the upgrade rather than abandoning the development direction after one difficult weekend.
The Italian’s championship position also provides some flexibility. Antonelli has established a substantial advantage over Russell through consistency, even as Verstappen has emerged as the strongest driver across the latest two Grands Prix.
Following Singapore, Antonelli holds a provisional 102-point advantage over Russell. As GRANDE PRÊMIO explained in its analysis of the championship mathematics, the Mercedes driver has an opportunity to secure the title in Austin, although the outcome depends on his rivals’ results.
Formula 1 returns for the United States Grand Prix on October 23–25, with Mercedes seeking further progress from its latest package. GRANDE PRÊMIO continues its Formula 1 coverage ahead of the next round.
