Kimi Antonelli claimed his ninth victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a commanding performance at the United States Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Mercedes driver came within two points of securing the World Championship, while George Russell’s eighth-place finish ensured the title fight would continue.
The Italian controlled much of the 56-lap race from pole position, overcoming different tyre strategies and a late Virtual Safety Car period to secure the ninth victory of his Formula 1 career.
Leclerc delivered second place for Ferrari after a late battle with Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar.
Antonelli Takes Control as Ferrari Makes an Aggressive Start
Antonelli lined up on pole alongside Verstappen, with Hadjar third and Leclerc fourth. Hamilton and Russell shared the third row, followed by the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Norris.
The championship leader started on medium tyres, while both Red Bulls and Ferraris selected the soft compound. Russell and the McLaren drivers also opted for mediums.
Antonelli made an excellent getaway and immediately established himself at the front. Behind him, both Ferraris passed Hadjar, while Leclerc briefly overtook Verstappen before the Red Bull driver reclaimed second place.
A short Virtual Safety Car period was deployed on lap two to clear debris, but Antonelli maintained his advantage when racing resumed.
By lap five, the Mercedes driver had built a 2.7-second lead over Verstappen, with Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton and Hadjar.
Further down the field, Russell came under investigation for gaining an advantage by leaving the track on the opening lap. The stewards subsequently handed the Mercedes driver a five-second time penalty.
McLaren also made an early strategic decision, allowing Norris to pass Piastri on lap eight after the British driver reported being held up behind his teammate.
Verstappen Commits to Two Stops as Russell Loses Ground
Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 14, switching to another set of soft tyres as Red Bull committed to a two-stop strategy.
Hamilton stopped one lap later for mediums, followed by Leclerc on lap 16. Piastri also pitted, returning to the track on hard tyres.
Antonelli remained out front, extending his advantage over Hadjar, who had inherited second place by staying on track.
Verstappen rapidly recovered positions on his fresh tyres, passing Russell on lap 18 before closing on teammate Hadjar.
Leclerc was also making progress, setting successive fastest laps and overtaking Russell on lap 20.
Russell’s pace continued to deteriorate, and by lap 23 he had fallen behind several rivals. He eventually stopped to serve his five-second penalty, rejoining in tenth place on hard tyres.
With Hamilton running fifth at that stage and Russell tenth, Antonelli was provisionally in a position to clinch the World Championship.
Verstappen, meanwhile, overtook Hadjar for second on lap 23 but expressed frustration over the time lost following his teammate in dirty air.
Antonelli Retakes the Lead as Verstappen Reports Problems
Antonelli made his first stop on lap 25, changing to hard tyres and rejoining fourth. Verstappen inherited the lead ahead of Hadjar and Leclerc.
Hadjar stopped the following lap, while Leclerc continued to pursue Verstappen.
Antonelli quickly emerged as the fastest driver among the leading contenders, closing on the Ferrari as the two drivers ahead of him approached their next stops.
By lap 30, Verstappen was struggling with his Red Bull. The Dutchman reported that his car was undriveable and complained of a problem, while also experiencing difficulty hearing his engineer.
His advantage over Leclerc fell to 1.4 seconds by lap 31, with Antonelli close behind the Ferrari.
Verstappen made his second stop on lap 32, handing the lead to Leclerc. Antonelli immediately attacked the Ferrari and successfully overtook the Monegasque to reclaim first place.
The Mercedes driver began pulling away, opening a two-second advantage by lap 35.
Verstappen, now on fresh medium tyres, started recovering ground from fifth place. He set the fastest lap on lap 34 and continued closing on Norris.
Hamilton made his final stop on lap 39, followed by Leclerc one lap later. Both Ferrari drivers switched to hard tyres.
Leclerc Wins Late Battle for Second
With Antonelli firmly in control, attention shifted to the battle behind him.
Norris was running second ahead of Verstappen, while Leclerc was rapidly reducing the gap to the Red Bull on his fresher tyres.
Hamilton also began recovering after his final stop, setting a fastest lap on lap 41 before overtaking Hadjar on lap 42.
Leclerc recorded a 1:38.329 on lap 42, improving to 1:37.976 one lap later as he closed on the fight ahead.
Verstappen eventually reached Norris but initially struggled to find a way past the McLaren. By lap 46, Leclerc had caught both drivers.
On lap 47, Verstappen overtook Norris to take second place. Leclerc initially failed to capitalise but completed his own pass on the McLaren later that lap.
The Ferrari driver then turned his attention to Verstappen, closing the gap before overtaking the Red Bull on lap 49 to secure second place.
Norris, meanwhile, was losing significant time. His engineer suggested that he might have a flat spot on a tyre, but the McLaren driver disagreed.
Hamilton continued closing and passed Norris at the first corner on lap 51 to take fourth.
Late Virtual Safety Car Secures Antonelli’s Advantage
Antonelli had extended his lead to almost 17 seconds when Valtteri Bottas slowed in his Cadillac on lap 51.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed, with Bottas eventually stopping and marshals working to recover the stranded car.
The neutralisation lasted until lap 53, leaving three laps of racing.
Mercedes briefly considered bringing Antonelli into the pits, but the Italian remained on track.
The gaps between the leading drivers were largely unchanged when racing resumed, allowing Antonelli to manage the closing laps without significant pressure.
Leclerc maintained second ahead of Verstappen, while Hamilton completed Ferrari’s strong afternoon in fourth.
Antonelli crossed the line to claim his ninth victory of the season, matching his total number of career Grand Prix wins.
Championship Remains Open as Russell Finishes Eighth
Despite his dominant victory, Antonelli did not secure the World Championship in Austin.
To take the title, he needed to win with Russell finishing no higher than ninth and Hamilton no higher than fifth.
Russell ultimately finished eighth, 54 seconds behind his Mercedes teammate, while Hamilton secured fourth place.
Both drivers consequently kept their mathematical championship hopes alive by two points, although Antonelli moved closer to the title.
Norris finished fifth, followed by Hadjar, Piastri and Russell.
Liam Lawson took ninth for Racing Bulls, with Pierre Gasly completing the points-paying positions for Alpine.
Nico Hülkenberg finished 11th ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll.
Fernando Alonso was 16th, followed by Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez.
Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto and Bottas failed to finish. Bearman had earlier received a ten-second penalty for his contact with Gasly.
For Antonelli, Austin represented another decisive performance in a remarkable season. His victory brought him to the brink of the championship, but Russell’s eighth-place finish ensured the title contest would move on to Mexico.
Austin Grand Prix 2026 – Race Results
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Gap | Pit Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W17 | 62 laps – 1h36m09.110s | 1 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-26 | +13.078 | 2 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | +17.485 | 2 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-26 | +18.515 | 2 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | +30.521 | 1 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | +34.373 | 1 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | +52.674 | 1 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes W17 | +54.303 | 1 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | +79.183 | 1 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes A526 | +87.516 | 1 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 R26 | +94.945 | 1 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi F1 R26 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW48 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW48 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | DNF | 1 |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes A526 | DNF | 2 |
| 22 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | DNF | 3 |
