At the last Formula One race in Mexico City, Kimi Antonelli crossed the line in third place, behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, in floods of tears. His performance that day may not have been enough to get him to win in Mexico, but it was enough to mathematically confirm that he was World Champion.
In just his second season in Formula One, Kimi Antonelli has won the Driver’s World Championship, becoming the youngest winner ever at just 20 years old. Even more impressively, he’s done it with 4 races to spare. But don’t think just because the World Champion is already confirmed that Formula 1 is no longer worth watching.
The Drivers
The number one spot on the Driver’s World Championship table may now be decided, but there’s plenty of other milestones to be decided. One of the closest battles is in fact the fight for second place.
Throughout the season, it looked like a battle between Mercedes driver George Russell and the two Ferrari drivers in Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. But Red Bull driver and 4-time World Champion Max Verstappen has emerged from nowhere, and after his win in Mexico, he’s taken 2nd place with 261 points, with Lewis Hamilton two points behind (259), and George Russell (250) and Charles Leclerc (245) close behind.
With 4 races left, this will be the real race to watch at the front of the grid. Further back, there’s plenty of points available to the midfield teams and even the backmarkers. Liam Lawson currently leads the ‘best of the rest’ race outside the top teams, but the race is tight below him.
The closest teammate battle right now is with Audi, with young teammate Gabriel Bortoleto leading his veteran teammate Nico Hulkenberg by just 1 point.
Then there’s Formula 1 DFS, which operate on a week-by-week basis, keeping each week exciting even when there’s nothing to fight for. Fans can participate through DFS sites like F1 Fantasy Game or Fantasy GP, selecting a handful of drivers each week, and getting points based on how they perform. However, since the championship has been decided, fans looking for a more competitive sport or league that’s still in full swing can read Yahoo’s piece on the best DFS sites for sports fans.
The Constructors
Over at the Constructor’s World Championship, it’s Mercedes, led by Antonelli, that top the standings, and they could well confirm their victory in the Constructors at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. Ferrari follow them in 2nd place, and their spot in 2nd also looks nailed on, as they are still 120 points above 3rd place Red Bull Racing.
Red Bull and McLaren are closely matched in 3rd and 4th place in the Constructors. The individual placements of these teams are crucial come the end of the season: each place comes with a massive jump in prize money, and in descending order, each spot comes with more wind tunnel and development allowances to help lower teams gain an advantage.
The midfield still has battles to keep an eye on in the next few races, and the closest is the battle for 7th place, with Haas and Audi separated by four points. Haas have recently dropped driver Esteban Ocon, giving the more experienced Audi drivers a leg-up in the fight.
At the very back of the grid, Aston Martin may have stopped development for the year, but they’re only a handful of points behind Williams in 9th, and at the bottom, Cadillac are yet to pick up a point on the year, and will hope to have some reason to be encouraged by picking up at least a point in their debut season.
