F1 United States GP: Kimi Antonelli secures a commanding win - yet no championship title

Kimi Antonelli has taken another stride towards a certain Formula 1 championship with a commanding victory at the United States Grand Prix, outpacing Charles Leclerc at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.

Starting from pole position, the Mercedes racer fended off challenges from the Ferrari driver and Max Verstappen as he adhered to the Silver Arrows’ strategy, executing a flawless one-stop race.

Antonelli's ninth Grand Prix triumph of 2026 wasn't quite enough to clinch the title just yet, but the 20-year-old Italian appears poised to become F1's youngest world champion at the upcoming Mexico Grand Prix.

Antonelli maintained his lead at the beginning of the 56-lap race while second-placed Verstappen had a sluggish start. This misstep left the Red Bull driver exposed to Leclerc, who had already passed Isack Hadjar and then overtook Verstappen with an aggressive move through the Esses.

Lewis Hamilton, who began on used soft tyres, also maneuvered past Hadjar. Meanwhile, George Russell received a five-second time penalty for going off track on the opening lap as he defended his position. As the leading pack settled, Oscar Piastri was instructed to allow the faster Lando Norris to overtake him on lap eight for seventh place.

At the front, Antonelli effectively controlled a slender but strong three-second lead over Verstappen. This prompted Red Bull to take a gamble, bringing the Dutchman in on lap 14 for a new set of soft tyres, shifting him to a two-stop strategy.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Mercedes stayed the course and kept Antonelli out, sticking to a one-stop plan. Struggling for grip on his used softs, Hamilton switched to mediums next, as did his teammate Leclerc and both McLarens.

This resulted in a temporary top three of Antonelli, Hadjar, and Russell until they all pitted for what was intended to be their sole stop, with Antonelli opting for hard tyres after starting on mediums on lap 25.

Verstappen's lead was short-lived as he began to experience engine braking issues, describing his Red Bull as "undriveable." This forced him to pit on lap 32 for a second stop for mediums, dropping him to fifth place, 18 seconds behind the new leader, Antonelli.

On the slower hard tyres, Antonelli faced pressure from Leclerc, yet both he and Ferrari teammate Hamilton had yet to pit again as Verstappen remained Antonelli's primary rival. The two Ferraris switched to hard tyres in the final third, falling behind Verstappen in the process.

However, to reach Antonelli, Verstappen first needed to overtake Norris, who was also banking on a one-stop strategy. Verstappen's tussle with Norris allowed Leclerc to capitalize on his fresher tyres and close the gap, with the three cars converging with ten laps remaining.

At the start of lap 47, Verstappen made a late dive on Norris into COTA's steep Turn 1 hairpin, snatching second position before Leclerc also found a way through. With superior tyre performance, Leclerc then passed Verstappen on the back straight on lap 49 to secure second place.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Antonelli's victory was never under serious threat as he maintained a 13-second gap to Leclerc, with Verstappen trailing another four seconds behind in third.

Norris also found himself under pressure from Hamilton, who clinched fourth place from the reigning world champion on lap 51, ensuring that the seven-time world champion remained in mathematical contention for the title until the following week.

Hadjar crossed the finish line in sixth, ahead of Piastri, who fended off Russell for a distant seventh. Russell needed to avoid finishing ninth or lower to keep his theoretical title hopes alive, which he just managed after a challenging weekend.

Liam Lawson continued Racing Bulls' strong performance in the constructors' championship by finishing ninth, with the final point going to Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Antonelli is now nearly guaranteed to secure the championship in Mexico, needing just two points to become the youngest title winner at age 20.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman was one of three retirements, suffering first-lap damage from contact with Gasly, for which he received a 10-second penalty, triggering a brief virtual safety car period.

Alpine's Franco Colapinto also exited the race early, while Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas retired late in the race due to engine issues, leading to the second brief virtual safety car period of the event.