SportsFormula One
Antonelli wins in Austin and needs only ninth place in Mexico for the F1 title
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver won the United States Grand Prix from pole, 13 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc, and leads George Russell by 123 points with 125 left.
Key points
- Kimi Antonelli won the US Grand Prix by 13.078 seconds for his ninth win of 2026.
- George Russell finished eighth after a five-second penalty, and Lewis Hamilton was fourth.
- Antonelli will be champion if he finishes ninth or better in Mexico on 1 November.
Kimi Antonelli is one weekend away from the Formula One world title. The Mercedes driver won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, leading from pole on a one-stop strategy and crossing the line 13.078 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
It was the 20-year-old Italian’s ninth win of the season. It was not quite enough to settle the championship in Texas, because his closest rivals both scored, but it leaves him needing only two points, a ninth-place finish, at the Mexican Grand Prix on 1 November to become the youngest champion in the sport’s history.
“We try to finish on a high and hopefully we can clinch it very soon,” Antonelli said.
He would also be the first Italian world champion since 1953. Mercedes have now won 12 of the season’s 18 races, eight of the earlier ones by Antonelli, who has turned a 102-point lead before Austin into a 123-point cushion.
How the race unfolded
The start was untidy behind the leader. Leclerc came close to touching his teammate Lewis Hamilton after the start, and a virtual safety car was needed on lap two so marshals could clear debris.
George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate and nearest challenger, started sixth and was handed a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage over Oscar Piastri at Turn 13 on the opening lap. He came home eighth, enough to keep the title fight alive for another week.
Max Verstappen, who started alongside Antonelli on the front row, lost second place when Leclerc passed the Red Bull in the final stint. Verstappen finished third, with Hamilton fourth. Lando Norris, the reigning champion, was fifth, ahead of Isack Hadjar, Piastri, Russell, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly.
Oliver Bearman of Haas was given a 10-second penalty for a collision with Gasly and retired at half distance.
The title picture
Antonelli has 365 points. Russell is second on 242 and Hamilton third on 241, 123 and 124 points behind with five races and 125 points left. Verstappen and Leclerc, on 236 and 233, can no longer catch him.
Mercedes lead the constructors’ standings with 607 points to Ferrari’s 474, while McLaren and Red Bull are level on 355 in the fight for third.
After Mexico City, the season moves to São Paulo on 8 November, Las Vegas on 21 November, Qatar on 29 November and Abu Dhabi on 6 December.