Kimi Antonelli refuses to get caught up in the media's title hype, insisting that "it's not over yet" while determined to savour the moment.

Despite the endless permutations, the fact is that, barring an event almost impossible to comprehend, Kimi Antonelli is going to become Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and the youngest in the entire history of the sport.

If he doesn't wrap it up this weekend in Austin, he will surely do the business in Mexico or Brazil.

Asked how he is approaching what could be a historic weekend, the youngster replied: "It definitely is crazy if you think about it, but that's why I won't think about it.

"I've heard that something catastrophic needs to happen to the others for me to become champion," he continued. "For me, it needs to be a perfect weekend. The others need to have a poor result, which is unlikely to happen. So, of course, anything can happen, and it's crazy to think about it.

"We had a meeting with Bono this morning, and he just said, "have fun." It's the same mind-set I've had all year, one race at a time. Just try to do the best I can every race weekend, and then we'll see. But, of course, if I do things well, then the result will come.

"It would be a dream," he admitted, when asked about winning the title. "It's something I've dreamt of since I was little. First of all, to find myself in such a position is incredible. But at the same time, I need to keep going, keep pushing, it's not over yet. So first, we'll try to finish the job properly, and then we can enjoy the rest. But, for sure, it would be an incredible achievement, but there's still a bit to go.

Asked if his success in junior formulae has helped prepare him, the 20-year-old replied: "For sure. I mean, obviously, Formula 1 is different because the pressure is a lot bigger than in anything else. So yeah, the pressure is a bit more. The competition is a little bit higher as well because you're racing with 21 of the best drivers in the world. So, it's definitely a bit more complicated in that regard.

"But I think when you fight for championships in karting and junior series, the mind-set is very similar in the way you approach races and the way you think. So, it definitely does help, the fact that I was able to fight for championships already from karting, and it kind of prepares you as well to face certain situations. Of course, the F1 stage is a lot bigger and more complicated to handle in certain ways, but definitely the basics have been there from the start."

Be it this weekend, or any one of the weekends that follows, Antonelli's father will be there to share the moment.

"My dad is kind of... he's like my rock," said the youngster. "He's the one, of course, along with my mum and the rest of the family, who knows me best, and he knows how to handle me in certain situations.

"Growing up, he's been teaching me everything he knew, first of all about racing, but now he kind of teaches me more about life. And, of course, it's really important for me to have someone like him during races, especially in such a big year. So, yeah, he's been making an incredible effort trying to balance his work, his racing team and coming to my races. I really appreciate that from him.

"When I was little, before everything even started, he didn't want me to race because the sport can be very cruel at times. And especially financially, it's a very difficult sport when you don't have the right support. I'll always be very grateful to Mercedes because they were the ones gambling on me when I was very little. Mainly without them, I wouldn't be here today because they were the ones who supported me all the way from karting to now. They were the ones who gave me the opportunities because otherwise I probably wouldn't be here. So that's why my dad didn't want me to race because, unfortunately, when he was racing himself, he had to face this reality. He didn't have any financial support, and he couldn't keep going with his racing career. So then he started his own racing team. That's why he didn't want me to race as well, because he didn't want me to face the same kind of disappointments he had faced back then. It was very hard for him to accept it. He just wanted to protect me. But then he saw I had passion, so he decided to give it a go."

It was pointed out to Antonelli that he was just four when Sebastian Vettel became the sport's youngest champion.

"I don't remember that, I'm sorry," he laughed. "I remember I was playing with Hot Wheels, but I don't remember him clinching it. Later on, when I grew up, I saw the race, which was crazy as well, the way it happened, because it was a very close title fight between all of you guys."

Asked when he first realised that he could break Vettel's record, he replied: "Recently, I would say. Obviously, I'm in an incredible position. This year, with how things went and how I felt in the car during the weekends, and also with the momentum going, I thought I might have had a chance this year to fight. Luckily, I'm in a very good position right now. But, of course, I still have to keep going, and the mind-set is always the same: whenever I go on track, I want to be at the top and try to win as much as possible, whether I win the championship this weekend, next weekend or in Brazil. Let's see. But it's not over until it's over.

That's why the mindset is always going to be the same: to win whenever I go on track. You want to finish the season on a high as well, and then go with high hopes into next year. But, of course, this year, with the car we've got, we've had such a strong car, and the team is doing an incredible job developing and understanding this new package. The team has done everything in their power to give us, first of all, a great car and the opportunity to fight."

Sitting beside Antonelli was Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, and clearly a great admirer of the young Italian.

Asked if there was any advice he would give the world champion to be, he laughed: "Slow down!

"No, I don't know," he added. "He doesn't need any advice. I think he's shown this year, and also last year, but particularly this year, his talent and his ability, his calmness and his approach. He's done an amazing job this year, and I'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of the way he's carried himself, how he interacts with the drivers and even with you guys. It's great to see him and the team excel. If it's not my team, I'd always want to see my old team do well."