The Formula One world championship is within reach for Kimi Antonelli at the US Grand Prix in Austin this weekend. But while the young Italian approaches the race intending simply to have fun, there is disquiet among other drivers about the potential long-term health dangers posed by the state of the Texas circuit.
The 20-year-old Antonelli will become Formula One’s youngest world champion if he claims the title at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2010, when the German driver was 23 and Antonelli was four.
It is an outside chance as the Italian has acknowledged. He must win while needing his rivals to endure a poor day. His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, would have to finish outside the top eight and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton outside the top four.
Nonetheless, while Antonelli knows the title race is effectively over, he is keeping the cool head that has brought him to this point with such alacrity. The Mercedes ship, helmed by his race engineer Pete Bonnington, who was alongside Hamilton for his six titles with the team, is steady as she goes.
“We had a meeting with Bono [Bonnington] this morning and we said: ‘Just have fun’,” Antonelli said. “It’s the same mindset I’ve had all year. One race at a time. Just try to do the best I can every race weekend, and then we’ll see.”
After a tricky rookie season last year, Antonelli has adapted remarkably quickly to competing at the front of the grid. But as he looks to close it out, he feels able to draw on previous experience.
“Formula One is different because the pressure is a lot bigger than in anything else,” he added. “The competition is a little bit higher as well because you’re racing with 21 of the best drivers in the world. But when you fight for championships in karting and junior series, the mindset is very similar in the way you approach races and the way you think.”
Going into the weekend, however, the circuit has drawn unusually severe criticism from drivers. The race was first held in Austin in 2012 and has a contract until 2034. It has become hugely popular, with sold-out crowds, but the track has come under intense scrutiny.
Built on marshland, the bumps caused by the ground beneath the tarmac have been condemned in Austin as potentially harmful, with the uneven surface forcing impacts into the base of the drivers’ spines.
“The bumps are unacceptable. Over time they’ve been grinding a little bit here and there but it’s just putting a plaster on the big problem,” said Max Verstappen of Red Bull. “You need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time but that’s the only way to get rid of it because these bumps are not natural and they are out of control.
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“From the checks that I’ve done from my spine, the bottom end doesn’t look that great. I know that’s part of racing. I know that can be part of sport but it’s also further damage from the cars that we had the last few years. If we continue with finding this acceptable to drive on, then you are going to suffer with that much more.”
Verstappen’s opinion was echoed by the defending world champion, Lando Norris, who is frustrated that drivers’ concerns are not being listened to.
“It’s pretty bad. There’s a lot of places I need to take headache tablets before I go out simply because it’s so bumpy and you’re hitting your head pretty hard against the headrest because of the bumps. So it’s certainly not a nice thing,” Norris said. “There’s not much we can do. I mean, we complain about it, it’s stuff we’ve brought up many, many times but there’s only so much we can complain about things.”
