Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 25, 2026, but his ninth victory of the season did not quite deliver the Formula 1 title. It left him needing just two more points to guarantee it.
The Mercedes driver beat Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds, with Max Verstappen third. Yet George Russell’s eighth place and Lewis Hamilton’s fourth kept both men mathematically in contention. Antonelli had won the race comfortably; the championship calculation remained narrowly unfinished.
A win worth 25 points, with two still needed
The official drivers’ standings place Antonelli on 365 points, Russell on 242 and Hamilton on 241. His advantage is therefore 123 points over his teammate and 124 over the Ferrari driver, with five Grands Prix still to run.
As ABC Sport’s championship breakdown explains, those five races offer a maximum of 125 points to an individual driver. Russell’s maximum possible total is 367, while Hamilton’s is 366. Antonelli is already close enough that a very small addition could settle the contest.
Two points would bring him to 367. His nine race wins give him the decisive advantage on countback if the final points totals are level. Ninth place in Mexico City would supply those two points and secure the championship regardless of his rivals’ results.
Why Austin did not finish the job
According to Sportsnet’s race analysis, an Austin coronation required Antonelli to win while Russell finished ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. Antonelli completed his part, but each of the other two finished one position above the relevant threshold.
Hamilton took fourth behind Verstappen, while Russell came home eighth. That left Antonelli with another victory and a larger lead, but without an unbeatable points position. Mercedes’ official report confirms that ninth or better at the next race would be enough.
One stop made the victory possible
The official Formula 1 race report describes Antonelli converting pole position into a strong opening stint, then making a one-stop strategy work. He began on medium tyres and switched to hards, stretching those two sets across the race while several leading rivals stopped twice.
Mercedes resisted the temptation to follow Red Bull and Ferrari into an earlier stop. The team trusted the pace and tyre wear it was seeing, and Antonelli ultimately reached the finish more than 13 seconds clear of Leclerc.
Leclerc’s late move past Verstappen settled second place, and a late Virtual Safety Car did not prevent Antonelli from winning. At 20, the Italian remains in position to become F1’s youngest world champion. Austin moved him closer; Mexico City now offers the next opportunity.
Sources and further reading
- Formula 1: official United States Grand Prix race report
- Mercedes: official team report and title target
- ABC Sport: championship points and permutations
- Sportsnet: race analysis and title conditions
- Formula 1: official 2026 drivers’ standings
