Antonelli wins United States Grand Prix from pole, moves closer to F1 title
The Mercedes driver led home Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen at Austin's Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.
Key facts
Story- Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix from pole at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
- Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were the drivers who challenged Antonelli for the win.
- It was Antonelli's ninth win of the 2026 season and leaves him close to the title.
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, taking his ninth victory of the 2026 season and moving closer to the Formula 1 world championship.
Antonelli started from pole after a close qualifying session. His first Q3 run gave him a time of 1m34.035s, about two tenths ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Mercedes' Russell qualified sixth.
A clean race from pole
Antonelli held off a challenge from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Verstappen across the race. He stuck to Mercedes' race plan and ran a clean one-stop strategy. Ferrari had finished fourth and fifth in qualifying, but Leclerc was the driver who pushed Antonelli hardest on Sunday.
Antonelli credited Mercedes' upgrades for the result. He said the team was "finally seeing the results" of work on a set of car changes introduced at the Malaysia round, which he described as a troubled but comprehensive package.
Title race
Antonelli leads the championship. Reports on the result describe him as close to his first title, though the exact points needed to clinch it depend on the remaining rounds. Lewis Hamilton could delay the coronation if he finishes ahead of Antonelli at the next race, the Mexico City Grand Prix.
If Antonelli wins the title, he would become F1's youngest ever world champion.
Worth your time?
One tap helps idly bring you more of what matters.
Advertisement
