Antonelli extends lead to 123 points after Austin win

The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, hosted the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, marking a decisive moment in the 2026 Formula One season.

Kimi Antonelli converted his pole position into his ninth win of the year, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:35:16.650. He finished 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc of Monaco. Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, took third place, finishing 17.485 seconds behind the winner.

Antonelli now holds a 123-point lead over his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, with five races remaining on the calendar. This gap creates a specific threshold for the rest of the season. Russell must win the next race in Mexico City to remain mathematically in the championship contention. If he does not take the win there, the title will belong to Antonelli.

The 20-year-old driver credited his team for the result, specifically the decision to use a one-stop strategy while his rivals pitted twice. He held off until Lap 25 to make his only pit stop. "It was a perfect way to end the weekend; it was an incredible team effort, especially from strategy to believe in me and go for one stop," Antonelli said.

Antonelli acknowledged that the championship is within reach but said his focus remains on performance. "I’m aware [securing the championship] is close, but the mindset doesn’t change," he said. "I want to finish the season on a high, to go into 2027 with high hopes."

Verstappen, who won the title in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, is now eliminated from the current race. He will go two years without a world title. He attributed his performance to tire issues. "Our overall pace was not good enough, and the tyres we had available were not the right ones," he said. He noted that a Virtual Safety Car deployed on Lap 52 helped preserve his podium position.

The safety car was triggered when Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac stopped on the track. It remained active until the penultimate lap, preventing any final overtaking moves. Antonelli maintained his lead throughout the 56-lap race.

Mercedes has also widened its advantage in the constructors' championship. The team now leads Ferrari by 133 points, holding 607 points to Ferrari’s 474.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, identified the Austin win as Antonelli's best performance to date. "Getting off the start with the inferior tyre and then controlling it [the race] at all times," Wolff said. He described the drive as "the race of a champion who isn’t the champion yet, but exceptional." Wolff noted that Antonelli outperformed the car, stating that the driver's style "glues with the car."

Antonelli agreed with his boss, citing the team's execution. He compared the win to his home victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he started from the back of the grid. While he called Monza special, he said the Austin result was better in terms of execution and how the team built performance throughout the weekend.