Antonelli caught off guard by Vettel record question in Austin

Kimi Antonelli is closing in on a place in Formula 1 history, but one chapter of the sport’s past appears to have escaped his memory. Quite literally, because he was busy playing with toy cars at the time.

The Mercedes driver was left scrambling for an answer in Austin when asked about potentially eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest-ever Formula 1 world champion.

The German established the benchmark in 2010, aged 23, while Antonelli could beat it by three years if he claims the crown this season.

There was just one small problem with asking the Italian about Vettel’s historic triumph: Antonelli was four years old when it happened, and his attention was apparently elsewhere.

“I don't remember that,” said Kimi Antonelli, quoted by Motorsport.com. “I was four-years-old. I'm sorry. I remember I was playing with Hot Wheels, but I don't remember him clinching [the title].

“Later on, when I grew up, I saw the race, which was crazy as well because it was a very close title fight between all of you guys [Lewis Hamilton, who was also in the press conference; Mark Webber; Fernando Alonso; and Vettel].”

A title fight, not a trip down memory lane

While the prospect of becoming the youngest champion in F1 history makes for a compelling subplot, Antonelli is determined not to let the record distract him from the job at hand.

Austin represents his first mathematical opportunity to clinch the championship, although he needs to outscore team-mate George Russell by 23 points to make it happen this weekend.

The 19-year-old acknowledged that the scale of his achievement is beginning to sink in, even if he would rather concentrate on what happens on the circuit than on the history books.

“I'm in an incredible position, but definitely this year, with how things went and how I felt in the car during the weekends and also with the momentum, I thought that I could have had a chance this year to fight,” he said.

“Luckily, I'm in a very good position right now.

“But I've still got to keep going, and the mindset is always the same, which is whenever I go on track to be at the top and to try and win as much as possible.

“Whether I win the championship, whether I win it this weekend or next weekend, or in Brazil, let's see.”

A small hiccup in Austin

Antonelli's immediate priority, meanwhile, is navigating a demanding weekend rather than planning a history-making celebration.

His Friday programme suffered an awkward interruption when a loose seat in his Mercedes cost him around 15 minutes of running at the start of second practice.

He recovered well, however, finishing second-fastest behind Charles Leclerc, who topped both Friday sessions with Ferrari's upgraded car.

The championship arithmetic remains challenging in Austin, but Antonelli has already put himself in a position few would have predicted at the start of his second F1 season. If he does become champion, Vettel's record will fall regardless of where the title is decided.

And should the teenager eventually rewrite that particular piece of history, he can at least be forgiven for not remembering the day the previous record was set. At four years old, he had other racing machines to worry about.

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