By: Andrea Kimi Antonelli is enjoying a fantastic season at the wheel of the Mercedes W17. In his second season in F1, he is not only edging ever closer to his first title, but could already seal it in Austin, with five races to spare. That is, of course, down to his record. Aside from two retirements (Barcelona and Silverstone) and fifth place in Azerbaijan, the Italian has finished on the podium every time, taking eight wins in total.
The current standings without Antonelli
Antonelli is undoubtedly the driver who most deserves to win the championship, but a look at the standings reveals something very curious. If we were to take Antonelli out of the equation and leave the standings as they are, Formula 1 fans would have a magnificent situation:
- George Russell (Mercedes) 238 points (3 wins)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 229 points (1 win)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 221 points (2 wins)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 215 points (1 win)
- Lando Norris (McLaren) 201 points (2 wins)
Five drivers separated by 37 points. An incredibly compelling picture ahead of the two triple-headers that will shape the end of the season.
The virtual standings with Antonelli completely absent
Some may now point out that, without Antonelli, these would not exactly be the standings we would be looking at. But we have anticipated that and decided to set them out. Can you imagine who would be leading if Antonelli had not taken part in any of the 17 races held this year? We can reveal it:
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 276 points (3 wins)
- George Russell (Mercedes) 268 points (5 wins)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 251 points (2 wins)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 247 points (3 wins)
- Lando Norris (McLaren) 229 points (3 wins)
If you have been paying attention, you will notice that one victory is missing, which would in fact have gone to Oscar Piastri (Japanese GP).
The standings would not be as tight as those currently separating the five drivers in question, but they would still be very close with six races remaining. Ferrari's Hamilton would lead on 276 points, with Russell eight behind, Leclerc 25 adrift, Verstappen 29 back and Norris, further behind, 47 points off the top.
It would still be a fine championship without Antonelli, but Russell would be far from certain of winning the title. Indeed, we would surely be looking at Ferrari from a different perspective. It would be a season painted in clear, vivid shades of red, with the Prancing Horse poised to give us some intense emotions. As Italians, with or without Antonelli, we can say we would not have done badly at all.
photo: Ferrari
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