Antonelli’s Ninth Victory Draws Him Ever-Closer To F-1 Title

Kimi Antonelli celebrates victory at Circuit of the Americas Sunday. (Clive Mason/Getty Images for Mercedes photo)

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Open-Wheel Correspondent

AUSTIN, Texas (Oct. 25, 2026) — A decent bit needed to go right for Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ Kimi Antonelli to exit Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas as champion.

It nearly went his way.

Antonelli secured his ninth victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at COTA, dominating the 56-lap affair. However, Mercedes teammate George Russell’s eighth-place finish and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton’s fourth-place result prevented the Italian from securing his maiden World Drivers’ Championship.

Still, the 20-year-old Antonelli is exceedingly likely to clinch the title next weekend in Mexico City, where a ninth-place finish or better would be enough to seal the title.

“It was the result we needed [at Austin], to be fair, and the whole team deserved it so much,” Antonelli said. “All this time, putting so much work into bringing this new package and finally seeing the result is very pleasant.

On Sunday, though he didn’t author a title-securing drive, Antonelli’s performance was nevertheless commanding. The Italian maintained his advantage from pole position, navigated an extended opening stint on medium tires, and ultimately crossed the finish line 13.078 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

“It was also a perfect execution from strategy to calling the one-stop and really happy that we made it stick,” Antonelli said. “Today was a great team effort.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen rounded out the podium, finishing 17.485 seconds behind Antonelli and four seconds off Leclerc’s pace despite contending with handling and technical difficulties throughout the afternoon.

“Too many issues with the power unit, where it was just very inconsistent behavior around the corners,” Verstappen said. “Every lap, every corner, different behavior. So, you can't build up a rhythm, you can't build any kind of consistency in the car. I had a slow pit stop. Too many things today that just didn't go well.”

Antonelli’s path to victory began almost immediately. Starting alongside Verstappen on the front row, the Mercedes driver retained his lead into the opening corners while the Dutchman briefly surrendered second place to Leclerc.

Verstappen recovered the position before the conclusion of the opening lap, but Antonelli had already begun establishing a cushion at the front of the field.

By lap 10, the Italian’s advantage had grown to nearly three seconds. Strategy subsequently became the defining element of the contest, with Mercedes opting to start both Antonelli and Russell on medium tires, while most of their closest competitors favored the softer compound.

That distinction allowed Antonelli to extend his opening stint as Verstappen and Ferrari’s drivers committed to earlier pit stops on laps 14 (Verstappen), 15 (Leclerc) and 16 (Hamilton).

“I was a bit concerned in the beginning,” Antonelli admitted. “But then, we were able to extend. Actually, the pace came back with the medium [tires] and we were able to extend without losing too much time. … After doing the first stint on the medium, we were like ‘Oh, right, we’re going to go for one-stop.’ The hard [tire] felt very robust, so I felt pretty confident to go all the way to the end.”

Antonelli remained on track until the conclusion of lap 24, when Mercedes fitted the hard compound for his lone pit stop. The decision ultimately proved decisive. 

While several competitors adopted two-stop strategies, Antonelli managed his tires effectively enough to complete the remaining 32 laps without another visit to the pits.

His route back to the lead wasn’t entirely straightforward, however. Verstappen briefly inherited the advantage through the pit-stop cycle, while Leclerc also enjoyed a short spell at the front.

With 20 laps remaining, Antonelli reclaimed the lead from Leclerc and began rebuilding his advantage, leaving the chasing pack to contend for the remaining podium positions.

Verstappen, who had experienced difficulties with his Red Bull throughout the race, worked his way past Lando Norris on lap 47 as the McLaren driver’s aging tires began to compromise his pace.

Leclerc subsequently overtook Norris before turning his attention toward Verstappen. The Ferrari driver eventually dispatched the Dutchman to secure second place, marking his second consecutive runner-up finish

“It’s one of those races where you’re not getting too bored inside the cockpit, and there’s something to play for,” Leclerc said. “I even thought the victory was possible at one point when I saw Kimi going for the one-stop. Based on our numbers, he would start to struggle a bit more towards the end of the race. He never really struggled towards the end of the race … A shame just that we came short of winning.”

Hamilton also capitalized on Norris’ fading pace to finish fourth, while the McLaren driver settled for fifth.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished sixth, followed by Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who completed the points-paying positions. 

Russell’s afternoon was complicated by a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during an early battle with Piastri. His eighth-place finish ultimately helped prolong the championship fight.

A late Virtual Safety Car, prompted by Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas’ car stopping on-track, briefly neutralized the proceedings. Nevertheless, Antonelli’s advantage was substantial enough that the interruption posed no threat to his victory.

As such, Antonelli secured another 25 championship points and moved one step closer to becoming Formula 1’s first Italian drivers’ champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Antonelli will have an opportunity to accomplish that feat when Formula 1 travels to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage of the weekend’s sessions will be available in the United States on Apple TV.

“I know we’re very close, but we try to finish on a high — and hopefully we can clinch it very soon,” Antonelli said.