Kimi Antonelli is one race away from his first Formula 1 world title after a dominant victory in the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. The 20-year-old Italian now leads Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 123 points with just a handful of races remaining.
Kimi Antonelli (Credits: BBC Sport)
Kimi Antonelli US Grand Prix win title permutations
Antonelli controlled the race from the very first corner, pulling more than two seconds clear by the end of lap one while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc battled behind him. Mercedes’ call to start on medium tyres paid off handsomely: Antonelli converted it into a one-stop strategy while almost everyone else needed two, and he crossed the line 16 seconds clear of Leclerc.
It was his ninth win in 18 races this season and his first since the Spanish Grand Prix last month. It was also a vindication for Mercedes’ upgrade package, introduced two races ago in Malaysia, which initially took the team backwards before assiduous work turned it into a definitively quicker specification.
“It was the result we needed,” Antonelli said. “All this time putting work on the new package and finally seeing the result was very pleasant, perfect strategy to call the one-stop.”
How Antonelli can seal the title in Mexico
Antonelli will be crowned champion in Mexico City next weekend as long as he does not lose more than 23 points to Russell and 24 to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. A ninth-place finish would be enough even if Russell wins the race, and 10th would suffice if Hamilton takes victory. If neither Russell nor Hamilton wins, Antonelli is champion no matter where he finishes.
Russell endured a frustrating afternoon in Austin. Starting sixth, he was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, which dropped him to 10th after his pit stop, and he could only recover to eighth. Hamilton’s fourth place keeps both Britons mathematically alive — just barely.
The entertainment came from Leclerc and Verstappen’s race-long squabble for second. Leclerc bravely went around the outside of the Red Bull through the high-speed Esses early on, Verstappen fought back through the stadium section, and the pair traded places again in the closing laps before Leclerc finally picked off Verstappen into Turn One to secure second.
Also Read: Kimi Antonelli Takes US Pole on Weekend He Can Win First F1 Title, Beating Verstappen by 0.179s | F1 United States Grand Prix 2026: How to Watch, Start Times and Antonelli’s Title Chance
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
