Antonelli Wins Austin Race to Extend Championship Lead to 123 Points

Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, extending his lead in the Formula One world championship to 123 points. The 20-year-old Italian driver finished the 56-lap race in 1:35:16.650, marking his ninth victory of the 2026 season. His teammate George Russell, the current title contender, must win the next race in Mexico City to remain in contention for the driver's crown.

Antonelli started from pole position and used a one-stop strategy that diverged from the two-stop plans of most other teams. He remained on track until Lap 25 before making his single pit stop. The driver credited his engineering team for trusting the aggressive approach. "It was a perfect way to end the weekend; it was an incredible team effort, especially from strategy to believe in me and go for one stop," Antonelli said.

Charles Leclerc of Monaco finished second in the race, crossing the line 13.078 seconds behind Antonelli. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing completed the podium in third place, finishing 17.485 seconds after the winner. Verstappen, who holds four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024, is now mathematically eliminated from this year's championship. He will go two years without a world championship if the current standings hold.

Verstappen attributed his performance to tire degradation and overall car pace. "Our overall pace was not good enough, and the tyres we had available were not the right ones," he stated. The Dutch driver noted that a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 52 may have aided his final position. The caution was triggered when Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac stopped on the track and remained active until the penultimate lap, preventing any further overtaking moves.

Mercedes widened its advantage in the constructors' championship to 133 points over Ferrari. The German manufacturer now holds 607 points compared to Ferrari's 474. Antonelli has won both United States races on this year's schedule, including the Las Vegas Grand Prix later in November. Earlier in the season, he secured five consecutive victories, including wins at Miami, Monza, Monaco, and Spa.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the Austin result as the best race Antonelli has produced in the series so far. Wolff praised the driver's ability to manage an inferior starting tire and control the race. "The race of a champion who isn't the champion yet, but exceptional," Wolff said. He added that Antonelli has outperformed the car's capabilities, with his driving style suiting the chassis effectively.

Antonelli acknowledged that securing the title is close but stated his mindset has not changed. He aims to finish the 2026 season strongly to enter the 2027 campaign with high expectations. When comparing the Austin win to his home race victory at Monza from the back of the grid, Antonelli agreed with Wolff that the execution in Texas was superior due to the team's consistent performance development throughout the weekend.