How Kimi Antonelli can win F1 title at Mexico GP -- with or without Qatar, Abu Dhabi races

Kimi Antonelli inched closer to his first world title after extending his lead in the championship from his two closest rivals George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, at the United States Grand Prix.

The 20-year-old, who has the potential to set a new record for the youngest Formula 1 champion this year, now leads Mercedes teammate Russell by a whopping 123 points in the standings with a maximum of 100 points still up for grabs.

The substantial lead means he is looking more than likely to be crowned champion on Nov. 1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The grands prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are currently scheduled to go ahead on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, but escalations in the war between the United States and Iran have the potential to force the cancellation of both rounds.

F1 has put a contingency plan in place to hold a single round at Imola if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled, but doing so would cut the championship short by one round and mean only 75 points are available to any single driver before the end of the year. Such a scenario would mean Antonelli has already won the title after maximising all the points on offer in Austin.

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Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris were in mathematical contention for this year's championship, but after Austin, they are no longer in the title fight, leaving just Russell and Hamilton still in the mix.

What does Antonelli need to do to be crowned champion in Mexico?

Assuming the final two races go ahead as planned, Antonelli's chances of clinching the title in Mexico have now dramatically increased after he converted his Mercedes from pole into his ninth race victory of the season in Austin. Antonelli would need to finish in ninth place or higher in Mexico to be crowned champion, even if Russell wins the race.

If Hamilton wins in Mexico, a 10th place finish for Antonelli would be enough for him to seal the title. Antonelli needs to score two points, or not be outscored by Russell by 24 points and Hamilton by 25 points. If neither Russell or Hamilton win the race, Antonelli will win the championship regardless of where he finishes.

If Russell did win and Antonelli finished below ninth, the gap between them would be 99 points with 100 points remaining, but even if Antonelli failed to score another point and Russell won all the remaining rounds after Mexico, Antonelli would still be crowned champion on countback of race victories.

If the championship is shortened by the season ending in Imola rather than Abu Dhabi, Antonelli has already become world champion in Austin, but the final races are still due to go ahead as planned.

The permutations for Antonelli to be crowned champion in Mexico City are:

• If Antonelli finishes ninth or higher, he will be crowned champion regardless of where the others finish and even if Russell wins the race.

• If Antonelli finishes tenth, he would be crowned champion even if Hamilton wins the race.

• If Hamilton or Russell don't win the race, Antonelli will be crowned champion no matter where he finishes.

What's the minimum Antonelli needs to do be crowned champion?

Another way to look at the championship is the minimum amount of points Antonelli needs to score over the remaining rounds to secure the title regardless of what other drivers achieve. Assuming Qatar and Abu Dhabi go ahead, he needs just two points over the remaining rounds.