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F1 driver in sunset
F1 driver in sunset
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FSU | Culture

Will Kimi Antonelli Be the 2026 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion?

Roni Berry Student Contributor, Florida State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Formula 1 is often referred to as the pinnacle of motorsport: a high-end, high-stakes competition with global prestige. With its growing relevance and expanding female fanbase, there’s an increasing need for recaps that help fans stay up to speed when they can’t catch every race weekend.

This 2026 Formula 1 season has seen a multitude of entertaining events, with new race leaders, new pole positions, new regulations, and new reliability issues; fans have been thoroughly entertained. As the end of the season nears, we see our predictions for our champion get closer and closer to what may be a staggering and record-breaking reality. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old from Bologna, Italy, currently leads the F1 championship by 102 points over teammate George Russell. With 17 races complete and six left, Antonelli could secure the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) as of the next race, Oct. 25, 2026, at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Texas if the right requirements are met. 

But what would it take for Antonelli to win this early? 

Kimi Antonelli’s ’26 Season

Obviously, Antonelli would need to take first place. This maximizes the amount of points he could get for the United States Grand Prix. He also needs some other drivers to face some unfortunate circumstances. 

For Antonelli to win, Russell, second in the standings, would need to finish ninth or lower, scoring only two points or less. This would mathematically eliminate him from the running. He also needs Lewis Hamilton to finish fifth place or lower, keeping him 14 points behind Antonelli. 

Potential Youngest WDC Title

Mathematically, if this occurs, Antonelli would win the WDC with multiple races left, making him the youngest WDC in history, beating former title holder Sebastian Vettel by about three years. Vettel set this record in 2010, taking home the WDC with Red Bull at 23 years and 134 days old. As impressive a feat as this is, the record could be shattered this season. 

Let’s say Antonelli doesn’t manage to win at COTA. What happens then? Thanks to the massive lead he holds over his competitors, he’s at no risk of losing his lead within the following week. He simply would have the same opportunity the following week in Mexico. 

Antonelli has created an immense gap, securing himself a safety net for mistakes. For example, in Barcelona, Spain, this season Antonelli suffered a battery unit failure, taking him out of the race. This total loss of points, however, didn’t eliminate his lead. 

Verstappen On The Track

As of right now, there’s not a single driver on the grid posing an immense threat to his victory. It would be an incredible story if someone managed to steal the championship this year, and with his recent success, some people are speculating that Max Verstappen might do just that. 

Verstappen is a dominant driver in F1, known for his aggression on track and amazing performance. With his recent victories, some are saying he may beat the odds and win the title, securing him his fifth WDC.

The chances of this happening are mathematically slim, but F1 fans never count out a driver like Verstappen. Last season, he managed to climb his way back to the top and finish second in the WDC standings to McLaren driver and current World Champion Lando Norris. 

As an F1 fanatic, I’m anxiously awaiting the next race, knowing that anything can change on the track. This season has brought results I never could have imagined, and problems with reliability that I and many others have been complaining about since day one. 

For now, all we can do is wait and hope that the track ahead of us proves to bring us some entertaining racing, and soon, a World Drivers’ Champion!

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Roni Berry

FSU '26

Roni is a second year editor, covering general topics including lifestyle, sports, culture, and campus information.
She currently works as a Barista in a local Tallahassee coffee shop. Previously, she has written in the Evermore Yearbook, serving as the Editor in Chief for 2 years. She is currently a Senior, going for a dual degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Psychology with a minor in Child Development.
In her free time, Roni enjoys reading, collecting vinyl, working out, playing with her cats Oscar and Lily, and a multitude of sports. She is a big fan of dystopian novels, writing poetry, and taking trips with her camera to capture whatever she can. She is also an avid Oscar Piastri fan, and supports him every Sunday.