Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be eligible to race with the quantity ‘1’ on his Mercedes subsequent yr when he wraps up the 2026 Formulation 1 title.
The 20-year-old stands on the cusp of a historic title triumph after securing his ninth win of the season on the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.
Which means that Antonelli has all however wrapped up his maiden F1 drivers’ title as the game heads into the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix weekend.
And as custom, the Italian racing driver might be eligible to run the quantity ‘1’ on his automotive in 2027 – an possibility reserved for the defending World Champion in F1.
After profitable his maiden World Championship with McLaren final season, Norris presently holds the No. 1 on his MCL40.
However given the Briton’s struggles within the newest period of the game, and Antonelli’s stellar rise to the very prime with the W17, the McLaren driver should relinquish that privilege on the finish of this season.
Antonelli, nonetheless, has revealed that he’ll choose to retain his No. 12 – famously related to the Mercedes driver’s idol and three-time F1 Champion Ayrton Senna.
“First, I’ve to get the job executed in Mexico,” he advised Blick. “However I feel that when that’s executed, I’ll nonetheless be racing with quantity 12.”
Within the fashionable period of the game, Antonelli could be the one driver after Lewis Hamilton to make that decision, with the seven-time World Champion racing together with his iconic No. 44 all through the championship years.
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