Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, October 23-25, 2026 (Round 18 of 23)
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix from pole position, his ninth victory of the 2026 season. He beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds with a one-stop strategy, and Max Verstappen completed the podium. Antonelli did not clinch the title in Austin, because George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both finished high enough to keep the championship mathematically alive.
The weekend also ended the title hopes of reigning world champion Lando Norris. His fifth place in Austin, where ageing tyres cost him a podium, left him mathematically unable to catch Antonelli.
Final classification
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1:35:16.650
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +13.078s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), +17.485s
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +18.515s
- Lando Norris (McLaren), +30.521s
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes), +54.303s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)
Retirements: Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
Bortoleto’s 13th place was a recovery from a huge 80-place grid penalty.
The race (56 laps)
The start. Antonelli made a perfect getaway on mediums and kept the lead. Verstappen, who started second, had a poor start, and Leclerc made a stunning move past him at Turn 3. After five laps Antonelli led Verstappen by only 2.5 seconds.
Strategy split. Verstappen and Leclerc pitted early and committed to a two-stop plan. Mercedes did not respond, believing the one-stop would be quickest. Antonelli ran a long first stint on mediums, took his only stop for hards on Lap 25, and managed those tyres to the flag.
Russell’s difficult afternoon. Russell received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the first lap. He served it at his first stop on Lap 23, which dropped him to tenth. He recovered only to eighth, which is why Antonelli could not clinch the title. Russell took 4 points and stayed 123 behind.
Chasing in the middle stint. On fresher tyres, Verstappen and Leclerc caught the field and passed Russell. By Lap 44 they were closing on Antonelli as his tyres aged. Leclerc then set consecutive fastest laps and moved up to second, taking the final podium step ahead of a fading Verstappen. Verstappen had multiple niggles with his Red Bull and fell away late.
Hamilton and the midfield. Hamilton finished fourth, only about a second behind Verstappen on the road. Norris made his one-stop work for fifth, but ageing tyres ended his podium hopes. Hadjar, on a one-stop, took sixth, and Piastri was seventh.
The late VSC. On Lap 52 Bottas stopped on track and brought out a Virtual Safety Car. It cost Leclerc a few seconds of the gap he had been building, but it did not threaten Antonelli’s win.
The rest of the field. Williams extended their pointless run to three events, and Haas failed to score at their home race.
Qualifying (Saturday)
Conditions were dry, with air temperature around 86°F (30°C) and gusty, unpredictable wind.
- Q1: Norris led the session and Leclerc made the early running. Antonelli needed a second flying lap for a 1:35.390.
- Q2: The balance swung to Ferrari, with Leclerc topping the session.
- Q3: Antonelli put in a 1:34.035 on his opening attempt, then abandoned his second lap. Nobody could beat it.
Top 7 in Q3: Antonelli 1:34.035, Verstappen +0.179s, Hadjar +0.215s, Leclerc +0.232s, Hamilton +0.276s, Russell +0.441s, Piastri.
It was Antonelli’s seventh pole of 2026 and his first since Belgium. It was also a surprise, because Mercedes had looked behind Ferrari and Red Bull all weekend. Ferrari’s challenge fell apart after dominating practice. Verstappen was left baffled at missing pole, and only 0.036s separated him from Hadjar in third. The grid also carried three penalties.
Practice
FP1 (Friday): Leclerc led with a 1:36.052, ahead of Verstappen (+0.084s) and Norris (+0.245s). Russell was fourth, Antonelli fifth and Hamilton sixth. Ferrari had brought a new floor, sidepod and diffuser package, their first major update in some time. Russell also reported sudden front-end understeer early in the session.
FP2 (Friday): Leclerc again, with a 1:35.291, the fastest lap of Friday. Antonelli was just 0.042s behind despite losing time early to a loose seat. Verstappen was third (+0.189s), Hamilton fourth and Russell fifth. McLaren struggled for pace late in the session.
FP3 (Saturday): Hamilton topped the session with a 1:34.893, the quickest lap of the weekend up to that point. Verstappen was second (+0.168s) and Leclerc third (+0.234s) after having a faster lap deleted for track limits. Antonelli was fourth and Russell fifth. Ferrari therefore swept all three practice sessions.
Championship picture
Norris is out of the title fight. Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, has been mathematically eliminated from the 2026 Drivers’ Championship. His fifth place in Austin ended any chance of defending his crown. Verstappen and Leclerc are also out, so only Russell and Hamilton can still catch the leader on paper.
Antonelli’s route to the title. Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points and Hamilton by 124, with 125 still available. If he finishes ninth or higher in the Mexican Grand Prix, he will be crowned Drivers’ World Champion.
Drivers’ standings after Austin:
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 365
- George Russell (Mercedes), 242
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 241
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 236
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 233
In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes leads with 607 points.
Outlook
If Antonelli finishes ninth or higher in the Mexican Grand Prix next week, he will be crowned Drivers’ World Champion. At age 20, he would be the youngest champion in Formula 1 history.
- Mexico City: Antonelli is expected to clinch the title there. He needs only a top-nine finish and is the strongest driver in the field on current form. The main risk is a retirement or a race-wrecking incident, but even then he would have four more rounds to finish the job.
- Ferrari: They look like Mercedes’ best challenger. The new package gave them top speed in practice, and Leclerc has now taken back-to-back second places. Their weak point is qualifying, where their practice advantage has disappeared on Saturday for the second straight weekend.
- Red Bull: Verstappen and Hadjar were close to pole, and Hadjar finished sixth on a one-stop. Verstappen’s late fade points to tyre and balance issues, so podiums are likely but wins will be harder.
- McLaren: Norris and Piastri were again off the front-runners. Ageing tyres cost Norris in Austin, and McLaren need to fix their tyre management before they can challenge for wins.
- Mercedes: With Antonelli so far ahead, the team is unlikely to need to intervene. Russell will keep chasing the runner-up spot against Hamilton, who is only one point behind.
