Antonelli Wins in Austin and Is Two Points From Formula 1 Title

Kimi Antonelli won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, moving to the brink of the Formula 1 world championship. It was his ninth victory of the 2026 season, and it leaves him needing just two points at the next race in Mexico, where a ninth-place finish would be enough.

The 20-year-old could have sealed the title in Austin, but only if Lewis Hamilton finished fifth or lower and George Russell finished ninth or lower. Hamilton took fourth and Russell eighth, so the celebration was delayed by a week. Once it comes, Antonelli will be the youngest champion in the sport's history and the first Italian to win the crown since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Despite the attention on his title chances, Antonelli appeared unbothered. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Sky Sports that his driver slipped into his office before the race and said he planned to enjoy the ride, adding that it was odd he was not thinking about the championship at all. Wolff said the young driver was on a discovery mission about his own emotions, and then delivered from start to finish.

Antonelli took pole on Saturday and pulled clear on Sunday. He chose the medium tire while Max Verstappen and Red Bull started on the grippier soft, but Antonelli made a flawless getaway. He gave up the lead only briefly when strategies diverged at mid-distance, and the result was never in doubt. He finished 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Wolff called it the best race Antonelli has delivered so far, describing it as "the race of a champion who isn't the champion yet." Asked to compare it with Antonelli's Italian Grand Prix win in September, when he charged from 19th on the grid, Wolff said both were very good but that the headline about Austin being the best could stay. Antonelli himself said Monza was unforgettable but that Austin was probably better in execution, since Mercedes had the fastest car in Italy and overtaking was relatively easy there.

Behind the winner, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, each with two wins this year, fought over the best of the rest, and the order was settled by tire wear and strategy calls. Russell had a difficult weekend. He was nearly half a second slower than Antonelli in qualifying and finished almost 55 seconds behind on Sunday, after a five-second penalty dropped him further down the order. "The penalty was a bit ridiculous," he said, "but yeah, the least of my worries after such a bad weekend." Because he finished eighth rather than ninth, Russell remains mathematically alive in the title race.

Antonelli credited those around him for helping him stay relaxed, including his father, who travels with the team, and his performance coach. He said they help him block out the noise, and admitted there was a lot of talk about the championship on Thursday that he tried to ignore. He has also said he keeps up everyday habits such as visiting the pub and the bowling alley with friends in San Marino.

The turnaround is striking after a difficult rookie season. Wolff, who signed Antonelli at age 11, noted that some people last year said the driver did not belong in a Mercedes, or even in Formula 1, after nine races without points. He said it is satisfying to see the results now, though he stressed the title is only 99.9 percent secured because Antonelli still has to finish the race in Mexico.