Kimi Antonelli nears drivers’ crown after dominant US Grand Prix win
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on October 25, 2026, moving to within two points of the Formula One drivers’ championship ahead of next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Antonelli finished first ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton ended the race in eighth and fourth respectively, a result that brings the 20-year-old to the brink of his first title. The Mercedes driver was described as jubilant as he crossed the line at the Circuit of the Americas and stands to become Formula 1’s youngest champion.
Mercedes attributed the victory to recent work on upgrades and a successful one-stop strategy that the team executed during the race. Antonelli paid tribute to the operation, saying: “We’re very close [to the title], hopefully we can clinch it soon,” he said. “It was a result we needed, to be fair, the whole team deserved it all this time – working to bring this new package and finally seeing the result is very pleasant. It was a perfect execution of strategy to call the one stop. Today was a great team effort.”
Celebrations on the radio reflected the mood inside Mercedes after the chequered flag, with Antonelli exclaiming to his engineer Peter Bonnington: “Yeah! That’s how we do it.” The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, told Antonelli over the radio after the victory: “Another small step.” “Another small step.”
Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord also praised the collective performance, saying: “It felt like everyone was getting a bit excited but all Kimi could do today is go out and win,” he said. “Amazing job by everyone on the pit wall and the strategists back at base. What a drive, what a win.”
Max Verstappen expressed frustration with Red Bull’s two-stop approach and problems with his car, saying: “Yeah, that was terrible,” he said. “The pace, the wrong tyre, shit pit stop, shit engine braking. Nothing worked.”
The championship standings after the US Grand Prix show: Drivers — 1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 365pts; 2 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 242; 3 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 241; 4 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 236; 5 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 233; 6 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 211; 7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 144; 8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull 105; 9 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 77; 10 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 42; 11 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 38; 12 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 27; 13 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 23; 14 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 13; 15 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 10; 16 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 7; 17 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 7; 18 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 7; 19 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 5; 20 Yuki Tsunoda 🇯🇵 Racing Bulls 1; Yet to score: Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin, Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac, Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac. Constructors — 1 Mercedes 🇩🇪 607pts; 2 Ferrari 🇮🇹 474; 3 Red Bull 🇦🇹 355; 4 McLaren 🇬🇧 355; 5 Racing Bulls 🇮🇹 102; 6 Alpine 🇫🇷 69; 7 Haas 🇺🇸 30; 8 Audi 🇩🇪 23; 9 Williams 🇬🇧 12; 10 Aston Martin 🇬🇧 7; 11 Cadillac 🇺🇸 0.
Antonelli can secure the drivers’ title at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend if he finishes ninth or higher in that race.
