US Grand Prix: Antonelli wins from pole in Austin but F1 title celebration waits for Mexico

Kimi Antonelli produced one of the most controlled drives of his young career to win the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing 13.078 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull. The Mercedes driver's ninth victory of 2026 extended his championship lead to 123 points, but it fell just short of what he needed to be crowned in Austin. The race finished in the early hours of Monday morning in Malaysia, and the title party has now been pushed back a week to Mexico City.

A one-stop drive from pole

Antonelli started from pole on medium tyres and made a cleaner getaway than Verstappen, who struggled for traction alongside him. Leclerc briefly got ahead of the Red Bull through the opening sequence of corners, but Verstappen reclaimed second on lap two, by which point the Mercedes was already around two seconds up the road.

The decisive call was strategic. Antonelli ran a long first stint on the mediums and made his only stop on lap 25 for hard tyres, which carried him to the flag over the 56-lap distance. Many of his rivals were committed to two stops, and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff later said the team's simulations had the one-stop roughly eight seconds quicker. Two Virtual Safety Car periods, one for debris on lap two and another after Valtteri Bottas stopped his Cadillac on lap 52, did nothing to change the outcome at the front. His winning time was 1:35:16.650.

Leclerc's late charge to second

Behind the leader, the race came alive in the closing stages. Ferrari's two-stop plan left Leclerc on fresh hard tyres for the final stint, and he passed Lando Norris before closing on Verstappen and using overtake mode to take second on lap 49. Lewis Hamilton followed his team-mate through, passing Norris for fourth, finishing just over a second behind Verstappen.

Verstappen, who had stopped early on lap 14 and then lost time at his second stop with a right-front wheel problem, hung on for the final podium spot despite complaining of gearshift and engine-braking issues throughout. Norris faded to fifth on ageing tyres after a one-stop of his own.

Russell's costly afternoon

The championship was always going to hinge on George Russell, and the Briton endured a difficult race. A five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage over Oscar Piastri at Turn 12 on the opening lap was served at his lap-23 stop, and he could not find a way back past the McLaren. He finished eighth, which earned four points. Had he finished ninth, Antonelli would already be champion.

Isack Hadjar was sixth for Red Bull, ahead of Piastri and Russell, with Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completing the points. Bottas, Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman were the three retirements.

What the result means

Antonelli now has 365 points to Russell's 242 and Hamilton's 241, with 125 points left across the final five Grands Prix. Verstappen (236) and Leclerc (233) are now mathematically out of the running. Antonelli told reporters after the race that he hoped to finish the job soon, adding: "We are very close." In the constructors' standings, Mercedes lead Ferrari by 607 points to 474.

Key takeaways

• Antonelli won from pole by 13.078 seconds for his ninth victory of 2026.
• Leclerc passed Verstappen late on for second; Hamilton was fourth and Norris fifth.
• Russell's eighth place, after a five-second penalty, kept the title fight alive.
• Antonelli leads by 123 points with 125 remaining; Verstappen and Leclerc are eliminated.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 United States Grand Prix? Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes won from pole position, ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

Why wasn't Antonelli crowned champion in Austin? He needed George Russell to finish ninth or lower. Russell finished eighth, which left the gap at 123 points with 125 still available.

Where is the next race? The Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with the race on Sunday 1 November local time (early Monday 2 November in Malaysia).

Sources: Formula1.com, Sky Sports, GrandPrix.com, Yahoo Sports, Grande Premio