Antonelli wins US Grand Prix in Austin; Leclerc second and Verstappen third
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin on 26 October 2026, with Charles Leclerc finishing second and Max Verstappen third; the victory was Antonelli's ninth of the season. Mercedes' Antonelli, 20, can become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history if he finishes ninth or higher at the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend.
The following are driver ratings covering performances across the weekend in Texas. Antonelli produced an outstanding lap to take pole, then managed the race from the front, executing a one-stop strategy while many rivals required two, and delivered a superb weekend under the added pressure of a first chance to seal the title.
Leclerc was fastest in both Friday practice sessions, qualified fourth and raced his Ferrari to second, making late overtakes on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to secure the runner-up spot. His pace across the weekend and those late passes were central to his comeback into second.
Verstappen put the Red Bull on the front row with strong pace, but a poor start immediately complicated his race; despite problems with the car he recovered and still took a sixth consecutive podium. Those recovery actions underlined his ability to salvage a result amid early setbacks.
Another Ferrari driver produced a solid showing but spent much of the weekend behind team-mate Leclerc, topping final practice, running close to Leclerc in qualifying and fighting back to fourth once Ferrari opted for a two-stop strategy. Recovery drives and strategic choices from teams influenced several mid-race position changes.
A McLaren driver recovered from eighth on the grid after a Q3 lap was deleted for track limits, but McLaren's choice to keep him on ageing tyres cost time late in the race and left him with fifth. Elsewhere, a driver described as having struggled in practice with the Red Bull recovered to qualify third, ran strongly and finished sixth despite throttle mapping problems and moving aside for team-mate Verstappen.
Tyre and penalty issues shaped several other weekends: one driver picked up a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a battle with Piastri and finished eighth after admitting his Q3 laps were poor; another quietly strong performance came from Lawson, who converted ninth on the grid into ninth at the finish after Racing Bulls sacrificed a proper Q3 attempt to save tyres. Alpine and Haas drivers mixed recovery drives and incidents—one Alpine car missed Q3 but fought back into the points after an early dice with Haas' Oliver Bearman, while other weekends were affected by power-unit penalties and track-limits deletions.
Antonelli must wait until the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend to confirm the title: he will secure the world championship if he finishes ninth or higher there.
