Kimi Antonelli was superb and Charles Leclerc was close to perfect — that is the verdict of BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin in his driver ratings from the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc (Credits: BBC Sport)
Championship leader Antonelli sealed his ninth victory of the season in Texas, with Leclerc second for Ferrari and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver can become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history if he finishes ninth or higher at the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend.
Antonelli Superb in US Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Benjamin rated Antonelli’s weekend as superb under the added pressure of having his first opportunity to seal the championship. The Italian produced an outstanding lap for pole and then controlled the race beautifully, making the one-stop strategy work while many around him needed two stops.
It was a performance that matched the praise of his team boss Toto Wolff, who had already called it the race of a champion who isn’t the champion yet. On this evidence, Antonelli handled the biggest weekend of his career like just another race — and won it in style.
Leclerc Close to Perfect, Verstappen Recovers to Third
Leclerc, Benjamin wrote, was very close to a perfect weekend himself. The Ferrari driver was fastest in both Friday practice sessions, qualified fourth, and then raced brilliantly to second — including late passes on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Verstappen was quick all weekend and put the Red Bull on the front row, but a poor start immediately made his race more difficult. He still recovered well despite problems with the car to claim a sixth consecutive podium.
Leclerc’s team-mate also had another strong weekend but was behind Leclerc for most of it. Fastest in final practice and only narrowly behind in qualifying, he fought his way back to fourth after Ferrari committed to the two-stop strategy.
Elsewhere, Norris recovered well from eighth on the grid, though his quickest Q3 lap was deleted for track limits and McLaren’s decision to leave him out on ageing tyres cost him late on, leaving him fifth through no fault entirely of his own.
There was an excellent turnaround from the second Red Bull driver, who struggled badly in practice before qualifying a superb third and finishing sixth despite throttle mapping problems and moving aside for Verstappen.
Russell Disappoints as Piastri Battles Back
By contrast, it was a disappointing weekend for George Russell given what the other Mercedes achieved. Benjamin noted Russell admitted both of his Q3 laps were poor, and he then picked up a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in his battle with Oscar Piastri, eventually finishing eighth.
Piastri himself had a fairly subdued weekend by his standards — seventh in qualifying and seventh in the race — although the first-lap battle with Russell went against him and the stewards decided the Mercedes driver was at fault.
Further down the order, Liam Lawson had another quietly excellent weekend, converting ninth on the grid into ninth at the finish for Racing Bulls, while the Alpine driver extracted just about everything available from his car to fight back into the points after missing Q3.
The ratings underline the story of the Austin weekend: a championship leader delivering under pressure, a Ferrari driver pushing him all the way, and a chasing pack left to fight over the remaining podium places as the title race heads to Mexico.
Also Read: Toto Wolff Hails Antonelli’s US GP Win as Race of a Champion Who Isn’t Champion Yet | Kimi Antonelli Wins US Grand Prix in Dominant Fashion, One Race From First F1 Title
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
