Antonelli Wins US Grand Prix, Championship Within Reach
Kimi Antonelli delivered a dominant victory for Mercedes at the Circuit of the Americas, claiming his ninth win of the season and closing in on his first Formula 1 world title — though the championship was not yet secured in Austin.
Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into a commanding victory at the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, crossing the line 13.078 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari after 56 laps. The Italian employed a single-stop strategy on medium and then hard tyres while most rivals made two stops, allowing him to build and hold a decisive lead throughout. Max Verstappen suffered a poor start but recovered to complete the podium for Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton brought his Ferrari home in fourth.
Antonelli did not, however, clinch the Drivers' Championship in Austin. The title conditions required team-mate George Russell to finish ninth or lower, and Hamilton to finish outside the top four. Neither was met — Russell came home eighth and Hamilton fourth — so the fight continues.
Team principal Toto Wolff had labelled Antonelli's qualifying effort "a miracle lap," and the Italian was equally pleased with race day execution. "The whole team deserve it so much," Antonelli said. "It was perfect execution from strategy — to call the one-stop — so I'm really happy we made it stick."
Lando Norris finished fifth as his tyres faded late on, ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri. Behind Russell in eighth came Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly. A Virtual Safety Car in the closing laps, triggered by Valtteri Bottas pulling his Cadillac to the side of the track, briefly neutralised the field but barely dented Antonelli's lead.
The F1 paddock heads next to the Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, scheduled for the weekend of 30 October to 1 November.
