Antonelli Wins U.S. Grand Prix, Nears First F1 Title

Kimi Antonelli is one race away from his first Formula 1 world championship. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 25, beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third. It was his ninth Grand Prix win of the season, and it leaves him needing only a top-nine finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Nov. 1 to seal the title, according to Sky Sports.

What we know: the result

Source: Formula 1 official race result.

How Antonelli won

Antonelli started from pole position, his first pole in eight races, Sky Sports noted, after a qualifying lap that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called "a miracle lap," per Formula 1's race report. He was the only driver in the top five on the grid to start on the medium tire, yet he made a strong getaway and led from the first lap.

The key was strategy. While Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull committed to two pit stops, Mercedes kept Antonelli out until the end of lap 24, then switched him to the hard compound and ran to the finish. The win was his first since the Spanish Grand Prix in mid-September, and it came after a Mercedes upgrade, first used two races earlier in Malaysia, had initially disappointed, Sky Sports reported. He retook the lead by lap 32 and controlled the gap to the flag, even after a late Virtual Safety Car caused when Valtteri Bottas pulled his Cadillac to the side of the track.

"It was the result we needed," Antonelli said, per Formula 1. "It was also perfect execution from strategy to call the one-stop so I'm really happy we made it stick and it was a great team effort."

Leclerc's late charge and Verstappen's problems

Leclerc, on a two-stop strategy, passed Lando Norris and then Verstappen in the closing laps to take his second straight second-place finish. Verstappen battled what he called an "undriveable" car and front-wing questions, but held on for his sixth consecutive podium, Formula 1 reported. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, about a second behind him.

"It was quite a good race," Leclerc said, per Sky Sports. "Unfortunately we came short of the victory which was our target. At the end of the day, a positive race. We had good pace."

Russell's penalty

Mercedes teammate George Russell had a difficult afternoon. Stewards gave him a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a first-lap battle with Oscar Piastri. After serving it at his only stop, he spent much of the race behind Piastri and finished eighth, describing his race pace as "rubbish," per Sky Sports.

Further down the field

The race was rougher for the teams behind the leaders. Haas, racing at its home event, asked Oliver Bearman to let Esteban Ocon through after Bearman reported unusual handling, prioritizing Ocon's undamaged car "in its bid for points at its home event," the FIA reported. Bearman later received a 10-second penalty and retired with damage, and Ocon finished 14th. Nico Hülkenberg narrowly missed the points in 11th for Audi.

There were three retirements: Bottas for Cadillac, Franco Colapinto for Alpine and Bearman. Cadillac's Sergio Pérez finished 19th, a lap down. Gabriel Bortoleto recovered to 13th after starting near the back with a grid penalty for exceeding his power-unit allocation, Formula 1 said.

The championship picture

According to the official standings, Antonelli has 365 points, ahead of Russell (242), Hamilton (241), Verstappen (236) and Leclerc (233). Sky Sports calculates that he is 123 points clear of Russell and 124 clear of Hamilton, with a maximum of 125 still available.

He could have clinched in Austin, but only if he won, Hamilton finished outside the top four and Russell finished ninth or lower. Hamilton's fourth and Russell's eighth kept the math alive for one more week.

How Antonelli clinches in Mexico City

According to Sky Sports, Antonelli will be champion at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Nov. 1 if either of these happens:

• He finishes anywhere in the top nine, or
• Neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the race.

That would wrap up the title with four rounds to spare. Sky Sports notes that Antonelli, who turned 20 in August and is in his second F1 season, is on the brink of becoming the sport's youngest-ever world champion.

What's next

1. Mexico City Grand Prix, Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The second leg of a triple-header takes place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with the race on Sunday, Nov. 1, Formula 1 said.
2. The title clinch. A top-nine finish makes Antonelli champion. "We are very close," he said, per Sky Sports. "We try to finish on a high and hopefully we can clinch it very soon."
3. The fight for second. Only nine points separate Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc, so the race for runner-up should stay tight through the final rounds.
4. Midfield points. Williams has gone three events without a point and Haas came away empty from its home race, Formula 1 noted, so both teams will be chasing a result in Mexico.

The bottom line

Antonelli turned an unexpected pole into a commanding one-stop win and now needs only a modest result in Mexico City to become world champion. For more sports, see who won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the latest AP Top 25 college football poll and our World Series coverage.