Lord: Antonelli title in Austin would mean Mercedes had a very poor race

A Kimi Antonelli title in Austin would not be the result Mercedes is aiming for, team principal Bradley Lord said. Antonelli must win Sunday's United States Grand Prix while teammate George Russell finishes ninth or lower; Lord said that combination would mean Mercedes had delivered a very poor race.

Antonelli held a 102-point lead over Russell after Friday's second practice. Lord said a title decision in Austin was theoretically possible but did not expect the championship to be decided there this weekend. Mercedes wanted to score as many points as possible and revisit the calculations when they became more favourable, he said.