Kimi Antonelli claimed his ninth win of the Formula 1 season at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, but he will have to wait a little longer for the title.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell secured the results which they needed to put Antonelli’s celebrations on hold, though the resistance will very likely end in Mexico. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen completed the United States GP podium.
Austin marked the first opportunity for Antonelli to confirm himself as F1 2026 world champion.
Victory from pole was a necessity. He then needed teammate George Russell to finish ninth or lower, with Lewis Hamilton no higher than fifth.
Antonelli took the C3 medium tyres for the race start, but would need to be ultra-aware of Max Verstappen alongside him on row one, armed with C4 softs.
It was softs for Isack Hadjar and the Ferraris behind. Mediums for Russell and the McLarens.
The grid was comprised of 21 cars. Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin would begin from pit-lane after a Honda power unit change.
Lights out! A subline start from the championship leader. Charles Leclerc took both Red Bulls. Hamilton also had a look at Verstappen through the esses, but thought better of keeping his nose in.
Carlos Sainz had a close shave with the inside wall as he tried to squeeze down the left of Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls up the hill into Turn 1.
Russell, wide at Turn 12, held off the attack of the McLarens. He was placed under FIA investigation for potentially leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
By Turn 15, Verstappen had already taken second back, but Antonelli was 2.5s clear.
Lap 2 featured a brief Virtual Safety Car to clear debris at Turn 12. Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso had made contact at the previous corner.
After that eventful start at COTA, the order stabilised within the top eight, though Norris believed he was being held up behind Piastri. McLaren did that switcheroo into T1.
Norris was now free to attack Russell, who was handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Esteban Ocon also wanted a swap with Haas teammate Oliver Bearman. Swap at T1 was the order, and Bearman yielded, moving Ocon into P11 with Pierre Gasly’s Alpine three seconds up the road.
Lap 12 and Hamilton said he was struggling to turn the car, especially in low speed. He was now three-and-a-half seconds behind Leclerc, and just over eight seconds off the lead. Crucially, he remained in position to ensure that Antonelli could not become champion today.
Verstappen was not happy with the upshifts in his Red Bull. He was the first to pit at the end of Lap 14. A 2.7s-stop for brand new softs.
Hamilton boxed the following lap. Also stationary for 2.7s, the seven-time world champion was on to new mediums. He would have the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson to overtake, which was not ideal.
Verstappen was quick to latch on to Piastri, not waiting until the McLaren pitted before pulling ahead. Leclerc was in as well and retained track position over Hamilton.
Both Ferraris on mediums, Piastri hards. Norris went for the hard rubber too, but a 4.4s-stop was not ideal. He was still ahead of Piastri, however.
Hadjar, second on the road, was enjoying life on his softs as Red Bull agreed with his call to stay out.
Antonelli would have been hoping that his teammate could hold up the sister Red Bull, but Verstappen made quick work of Russell into T12. Back up to third for the Dutchman.
Bearman’s afternoon was going from bad to worse as he picked up a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Gasly.
Speaking of penalties, Russell was in on Lap 23, serving his five seconds and taking on hard tyres.
It was hard tyres also for Antonelli, in on Lap 25, as he committed to an apparent one-stop versus Verstappen’s two.
Hadjar provided an effective hold-up service of Leclerc for his teammate, ahead of diving into the pits. He was surprised to be placed onto hards.
There were soon issues for both Red Bulls. Verstappen had engine braking gremlins, Hadjar’s pit-stop was stuck in the mapping, impacting the throttle.
Bearman had retired his Haas after serving that 10-second penalty.
Verstappen came in for his second stop at the end of Lap 31. 3.9s for mediums. Leclerc was freed into the lead with Antonelli right on the Ferraris rear wing.
The championship leader breezed down the inside at T12, back into the lead. Verstappen had a little under 20 seconds to make up if he wanted to attack Antonelli.
A wide moment for Antonelli at T12 did not help, as he blamed the car ahead which he was about to lap. The error had a minimal impact on his lead, but did add a track limits strike.
Franco Colapinto boxed to retire his Alpine.
Hamilton made his second stop on L39. He would go to the end on a new set of hards. He slotted in between Hadjar and Piastri in sixth.
New hards for Leclerc too. Could he join Verstappen in the Antonelli hunt?
Hamilton cleared Hadjar into Turn 1, Ferrari not yet out of the mix for a double podium.
Verstappen and the Ferraris did have an obstacle between themselves and Antonelli in the form of Norris’ McLaren. If Hamilton finished where he was in fifth, then he was mathematically out of the title race. Russell, in P8, was holding on, just about, as it stood.
Verstappen knew he had to get a move on, Leclerc now all over the Red Bull. Verstappen took his chance into T1. Leclerc was passed Norris out of T13.
The four-time world champion just could not shake Leclerc off. The Ferrari was coming through at T12, into second.
Hamilton was also on the move, taking Norris into T1. That lifted him to fourth, preserving those incredibly thin title hopes.
VSC. Bottas had pulled off down the back straight to retire his Cadillac with four laps to go. He had parked by the escape road, but that MAC-26 was not budging.
Antonelli was staying out as long as this remained VSC. It ended on Lap 53 of 56, the track back to green. Antonelli led by 16 seconds from Leclerc.
He drove on to a sublime victory, though he will need to wait until Mexico, where the title will surely become his.
US Grand Prix Result
1. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:35:16.650
2. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +13.078s
3. Max Verstappen Red Bull +17.485s
4. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +18.515s
5. Lando Norris McLaren +30.521s
6. Isack Hadjar Red Bull +34.373s
7. Oscar Piastri McLaren +52.674s
8. George Russell Mercedes +54.303s
9. Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +79.183s
10. Pierre Gasly Alpine +87.516s
11. Nico Hülkenberg Audi +94.945s
12. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1 lap
13. Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1 lap
14. Esteban Ocon Haas +1 lap
15. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1 lap
16. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1 lap
17. Alexander Albon Williams +1 lap
18. Carlos Sainz Williams +1 lap
19. Sergio Pérez Cadillac +1 lap
DNF: Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman.
