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Antonelli Wins US Grand Prix but Title Wait Continues
· Confirmed
In Short: Kimi Antonelli secured a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix but his Formula One title hopes remain unfulfilled.
Kimi Antonelli clinched a commanding victory at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, extending his lead in the Formula One championship, according to BBC (United Kingdom) and Autosport.
Autosport reported that Antonelli's ninth grand prix win of the season wasn't enough to secure the title immediately, while BBC (United Kingdom) noted his victory was his first since the Spanish Grand Prix last month.
Both outlets agreed that Antonelli's race-long lead was maintained despite challenges from Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
According to BBC (United Kingdom), Antonelli's strategy of using a one-stop pit stop strategy with hard tires allowed him to finish 16 seconds ahead of Leclerc, emphasizing his superiority.
News Room Guyana (Guyana) and Motorsport.com highlighted that Antonelli's victory was the result of a strong start and consistent performance throughout the race.
RTE.ie (Ireland) and Sport Nation (New Zealand) reported that Antonelli's victory dealt a significant blow to George Russell's title hopes, with Russell finishing fifth.
The Race and Motorsportweek noted that Antonelli and Russell opted for medium tires at the start, while Verstappen and Leclerc chose soft tires.
, Antonelli's victory at the United States Grand Prix extended his championship lead, but he will have to wait until the Mexico Grand Prix to clinch the title.
What this adds
Antonelli's performance in Austin was consistent with his strong season, with nine wins out of 18 races.
The race saw a strategic battle between Antonelli and his rivals, with Antonelli's one-stop strategy proving decisive.
Antonelli's team boss, Toto Wolff, called the victory 'another small step' toward the championship.
Antonelli's victory in Austin was his first since the Spanish Grand Prix, highlighting his resurgence in form.
Background
Kimi Antonelli secured a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix but his Formula One title hopes remain unfulfilled.
Kimi Antonelli clinched a commanding victory at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, extending his lead in the Formula One championship.
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship.
What's confirmed
- Antonelli held onto his lead at the start of the 56-lap race as second-placed Verstappen suffered a poor getaway.
- Kimi Antonelli has won nine of the 18 races so far this season Kimi Antonelli just missed out on clinching his first world title in a dominant victory in the United States Grand Prix.
- "It was the result we needed. The whole team deserve it so much," Antonelli said.
- Verstappen and the Ferrari were among the majority to start on the softest compound and were motivated to pressure Antonelli early, but none could genuinely match the Mercedes driver before their first stops.
- Antonelli did everything required of him in Austin, taking pole and converting it to a win, his ninth of the season.
- Interestingly, Antonelli and Russell, who started sixth on the grid, opted to start on medium tyres, while Max Verstappen in second, Isack Hadjar in third, Charles Leclerc in fourth and Lewis Hamilton in fifth went for the softs.
What's still developing
- Antonelli's ninth grand prix win of 2026 wasn't quite enough to secure the title just yet, but the 20-year-old Italian now looks set to become F1's youngest ever world champion at next weekend's Mexico Grand Prix.
- That left a temporary top three of Antonelli, Hadjar and Russell until all came in for what was supposed to be their only pitstop, with Antonelli eschewing the soft tyres entirely to go from mediums to hards on lap 25.
- Mercedes didn't take the bait and kept Antonelli out as it looked determined to stay on a one-stop strategy.
- At the front, Antonelli controlled a narrow but sovereign three-second lead on Verstappen.
- And Antonelli was able to convert that choice into a one-stop race while almost everyone else did two, emphasising his superiority as he finished 16 seconds clear of Leclerc.
- Antonelli will be crowned champion in Mexico City next weekend as long he does not lose more than 23 points to Russell or more than 24 to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
- Part 1 of Antonelli's job was done Saturday as he soared to a magnificent pole as the sun began to drop on the Circuit of the Americas.
- “It was the result we needed,” Antonelli said in a post-race interview.
- While Verstappen pitted for a fresh set of tires on Lap 31, Antonelli was released into second, and he quickly regained the lead from the Ferrari driver, and began to pull away.
- They ran in that order at the start, too, Antonelli holding the lead off the line on medium tyres and Leclerc squeezing past Verstappen into Turn 4 as the Red Bull appeared to struggle for traction and/or power on the run downhill out of the first corner.
- Kimi Antonelli took a dominant victory at the US Grand Prix, with a controlled and composed drive to beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into second place, but it was not quite enough for the Italian to seal his first Formula One world championship at the Circuit of the Americas.
- During the red flag for Leclerc's crash, Antonelli was one of a handful to choose medium tyres instead of hards for the restart - having taken the intial start on the hard compound.