F1 will be DESPERATE for Kimi Antonelli to win the world title at the US Grand Prix, this is why

F1 has a big problem and a big PR calamity on their hands, and it's all because of Kimi Antonelli.

Ok, not directly because of the Italian, but certainly down to his speed as he homes in on the world championship and becoming the youngest in F1 history in the process.

The situation with six races to go is Antonelli holds a 102 point lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Should he win this weekend's United States Grand Prix and Russell can do no better than ninth (and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is lower than fourth) then he will be Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Now, the issue is there are a load of 'ifs and buts' there. Antonelli for instance has only won two of the last seven grands prix.

Russell's Mercedes without qualifying or mechanical issues is always a solid bet for the top eight and Lewis Hamilton is always a good value to land a podium especially given his recent race pace (if not strategy sense.)

The point is a very particular set of circumstances have to fall Antonelli's way this weekend for him to take the title on track.

This is not good news for F1 who would really like him to get it all done and dusted in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari could actually be favourites to win the US Grand Prix

Now, this isn't because F1 have an anti-British agenda against Russell or Hamilton, but because they have been treed by their handling of the final two races at the Qatar Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

F1 finale remains uncertain

Since the conflict situation broke out in the Middle East at the start of the year, F1 took the decision to cancel the Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian grands prix that were due just a few weeks later in April, but left the decision on Qatar (late November) and Abu Dhabi (early December).

In the end, Bahrain was rescheduled for earlier in October, but only at the more secure Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

F1's hope that events in the Middle East have worked against them, and the region is still a flash points for concerning incidents.

Plan B is thought to be a season finale at Imola in Europe to replace the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the Qatar race cancelled, and F1 teams were hoping a concrete decision on this could be made by the middle of October - a deadline that has come and gone.

There are two issues F1 have been dealing with. The first is if they cancel the final two races, the sanctioning fees head towards its point of origin. However, if the promoters of the race axe it instead, they still have to pay the sanction fee. This isn't small money as it is typically around eight figures.

F1's Antonelli headache

But Antonelli's march towards the championship provides even more issues.

If Antonelli does not win the title in the USA but does maintain a gap of over 100 points, then either of Qatar or Abu Dhabi being cancelled would take the available points down to 100 from 125.

This would crown Antonelli champion without even racing on track. Winning a world championship, a record breaking one at that, because a race has been cancelled due to conflict is a terrible look for the sport.

Antonelli will deal on being world champion whatever the circumstances but even he would prefer to win it on the track and have his moment in the F1 paddock for the world to see and share.

F1 president confident of Qatar and Abu Dhabi races

The latest we have heard from F1 on this is from president Stefano Domenicali, who earlier this month said Plan A is still on.

"Yes, as we've already said, the calendar is confirmed: the last two Grands Prix will be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi," he said.

"This is the direction we've taken based on the information and reassurances we have – and which we absolutely must have, of course. It's the strategy we'll apply until the end of the year."

GPFans understands that F1 are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East to ensure the race is safe to go ahead.

Either way, F1 crowning their youngest world champion following a press release on a Tuesday afternoon is something nobody wants.

Yet the alternative if Antonelli doesn't get the job done this weekend is likely to take the risky option and go racing in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

US F1 fans can watch the action live from Austin this weekend for FREE with Apple TV offering a seven-day trial. You can click here to sign up.

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

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