Victors and vanquished from the F1 United States Grand Prix

Loser: George Russell

On a more serious note, Russell has hit a new low in recent races, and it’s tough to pinpoint exactly why. Even if one believes Antonelli is inherently faster or a superior driver, evidence is mounting that Russell isn’t far off Antonelli’s pace, suggesting something deeper is at play.

One theory posits that Mercedes' upgrades in Malaysia, which made the car faster yet more challenging to master, have adversely impacted Russell more than Antonelli. When the Mercedes W17 doesn’t perform exactly to his liking, Russell seems to lose his way more readily than his less seasoned counterpart.

"Six good laps, 50 bad laps. I want to understand why the pace was so poor in the first stint," Russell expressed after finishing eighth, stuck behind a similarly struggling McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri.

"There are indications that the setup window is quite narrow. I hope that explains my lack of pace today, but I need to collaborate closely with my team because it’s hard to grasp when you’re so far behind."

With Russell on the verge of losing second place to Hamilton, his main focus is to halt the downward trend and discover effective solutions to enter the off-season in a better position than he is presently.

Winner: Charles Leclerc

A couple of weeks ago, Leclerc faced criticism for his cautious start in Singapore, where he had a potentially race-altering chance to overtake polesitter Max Verstappen into Turn 1 but chose to back off.

Whether that missed opportunity lingered in his thoughts or not, Leclerc showed no hesitation in Austin, skillfully maneuvering around the outside of the Dutchman through the sweeping turns of COTA's spectacular first sector.

"Yeah, that was fun," Leclerc remarked. "I wasn’t quite sure how it would unfold. It was close, but it was enjoyable."

He and Ferrari compensated for another lackluster qualifying session with a stronger race, managing to overtake Verstappen again in the closing stages as he capitalized on a tyre life advantage.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen battled wheel-to-wheel at the start of the Austin showdown

Loser: Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar achieved a commendable result in qualifying after a challenging weekend up to that point, but his race quickly fell apart on Sunday.

"I’m just reviewing my race start," he noted. "Everything was perfect in terms of procedure, and then I had a clutch overdelivery. These elements, which are beyond my control, are starting to add up... I have poor radio reception, so I can’t hear what’s happening. I entered the pits with the wrong map and... I’m losing a second on every lap on that hard tyre."

As he tumbled from third on the grid to a sixth-place finish, Hadjar’s frustrations grew, and his composure diminished over the radio, reminiscent of his more volatile past in F2.

The radio issues meant some crucial communications were lost, like the switch to a hard tyre, which caught Hadjar off guard. The end result was a lost chance at a podium finish due to various factors outside his control, overshadowing the commendable effort he put in to recover from a tough Friday.

"The pace was solid today, that’s the frustrating part," he concluded. "We executed well. Yet all the little, silly things that we can’t control need to be addressed as well."

Liam Lawson was one of the stand-out performers in Austin

Winner: Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson's weekend at the United States Grand Prix was noteworthy, as he navigated the challenging terrain that pushed him out of his comfort zone. But let’s not forget his live debut as a singer-songwriter on Thursday night. His performance on track was equally impressive.

Lawson extended Racing Bulls' streak of consecutive points finishes to six with a composed drive to ninth, marking another event where the Anglo-Italian team positioned itself as the best of the rest ahead of Alpine and Audi.

After several sixth-place finishes, Racing Bulls is making strides toward achieving its best-ever constructors' championship result, currently holding 102 points and leading Alpine by 33 points. The latter will need to replicate its double podium success at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix if they hope to shift the momentum.

Loser: McLaren

Lando Norris, McLaren

Lando Norris' cynical, almost resentful tone on the team radio near the end of the race illustrated the stark contrast of transitioning from having the fastest car for much of the last two seasons to being the fourth fastest. It’s no easy feat. 'Do whatever you want with the strategy' sums it up as Norris struggled to maintain a podium position on worn hard tyres.

This gamble was worth a shot and didn't significantly alter the final outcome as he finished fifth. Once out of the car and refreshed, Norris adopted a more measured perspective. Ultimately, McLaren isn't far off the pace, as the top four teams in F1 2026 are surprisingly closely matched in this inaugural year of new regulations. Norris even optimistically thought he could have secured a front-row start with a better qualifying lap. However, for a reigning world champion, the sudden lack of success is hard to accept.

Meanwhile, Piastri's challenges with the 2026 car persist. It’s no surprise that there were few signs of improvement in Austin, as it had already been one of his weaker circuits in 2025 when the car was generally more suited to his style. The upcoming race in Mexico, where sliding is common due to the altitude on the low-grip track, will likely be another tough outing for Australian supporters.