F1 crown in reach for Kimi Antonelli at bumpy Austin circuit drivers insist is ‘unacceptable’

Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit of the Americas. ‘It’s the same mindset I’ve had all year,’ he said. ‘One race at a time.’ Photograph: Stefano Facchin Photography/Alessio Morgese/SPP/Shutterstock

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.