Kimi Antonelli set for big payday bonus as F1 championship looms

Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli has one hand on the F1 championship after Sunday's US Grand Prix and is reportedly set for a massive bonus at Mercedes when he finally secures the title.

Had results gone differently in Austin, we could already be talking about Antonelli's as F1's youngest-ever world champion, but it now looks set to happen next weekend in Mexico City.

Antonelli did his part by winning the race in the Lone Star State, but also required George Russell to finish ninth or below and Lewis Hamilton to be fifth or lower, neither of which happened in the end (Russell P8, Hamilton P4).

The young Italian now heads to the Mexican Grand Prix with a 123-point lead over his team-mate Russell, who must now win every grand prix if he is to stop Antonelli from being crowned champion.

Even if Russell manages that, which frankly is unlikely given his current form, Antonelli requires just two more points to make the championship his, meaning P9 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez next Sunday would be enough.

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Kimi Antonelli set for huge Mercedes bonus

If he wins the title on Sunday, Antonelli will become an F1 champion at the age of 20 years and 68 days old.

That will eclipse Sebastian Vettel as the sport's youngest-ever world champion by 3 years and 66 days, as his 2010 title win for Red Bull came at 23 years and 133 days old.

It turns out, though, history will not be the only thing Antonelli gets for his title win.

According to German publication Bild, Antonelli will also receive a significant bonus on top of his base salary at Mercedes when he is crowned as F1's new king.

Antonelli reportedly earns a base salary of just $2m per year in his sophomore F1 season, but Bild say he is due a bonus that will take his pay for the year up to a total of ‘slightly less than €10 million’, which equates to around $11m - more than five times his base.

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In terms of that base salary, Antonelli’s contract remains one of the most modest in the sport, though that is likely going to change once he becomes a world champion.

As you can see below, only four drivers on the grid earn less than the 20-year-old at present, and his earnings are some way off the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

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Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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