Kimi Antonelli wins U.S. Grand Prix in Texas, putting him on the brink of F1 championship

AUSTIN, Texas — Kimi Antonelli won the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday with a dominant lights-to-flag drive, putting him on the brink of becoming the 2026 Formula 1 world champion. Antonelli, the 20-year-old Italian Mercedes driver, fell just short of clinching the title in Texas, but he extended his already commanding lead and is on the verge of making history as F1’s youngest champion in just his second season. He has an excellent opportunity to lock down the title at the Mexico City race next Sunday. With five races to go, Antonelli sits 123 points ahead of his nearest rival, with a maximum of 125 points up for grabs. The race in Austin marked his ninth victory of the season. There were boos on the podium as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, presented the winner’s trophy to Antonelli. The boos turned to cheers as Antonelli hoisted it. “It was the result we needed,” Antonelli said in a postrace interview. “We’re very close, but yeah, we’re trying to finish on a high, and hopefully we can finish it very soon.” Behind Antonelli, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished third. Neither is in contention for the title. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished fourth. And George Russell, also with Mercedes, finished eighth, barely staying in mathematical contention in the standings. Even before the Austin race, Russell and Hamilton both spoke of Antonelli’s securing the 2026 title as a matter of when, not if. Antonelli said after the race that he didn’t expect to be in such a strong position to close out the title campaign. “For sure, I’ve been surprised,” he said in response to a question from NBC News at his news conference. “This season so far, of course, is still not over. Still a few races where, you know, just want to do well, want to still try to fight for wins. [It] would be good to finish on a high. But definitely, looking back at the season, there’s still things to work on, to improve.” Antonelli would break a record set by 23-year-old Sebastian Vettel, who won the trophy in a title-deciding thriller at the final race of the 2010 F1 season. Antonelli was 4 years old at the time, and he joked that he recalls playing with Hot Wheels. He would become the first Italian to win the world championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953. F1 officials counted an attendance of 467,000 this weekend. It was a masterful drive from Antonelli, who proved once again why he’s cruising to a world championship. He started first Sunday and sped off into the distance as Verstappen battled with the two Ferraris in the opening laps. Antonelli pitted on Lap 25 of 56 for his one and only stop to change tires. Leclerc and Verstappen both pursued two-stop strategies to try to catch him but failed to do so. Leclerc overtook Verstappen in the final stint of the race. And it was another weekend when Russell, 28, was one step behind his younger teammate and rival when it counted. Russell qualified sixth and held that position in the opening stages of the race. But on Lap 9, he was given a five-second time penalty for “leaving the track and gaining an advantage,” which cost him positions and eventually dropped him to eighth. Russell is locked in a close fight for second in the championship, and he said he still wants to close out the season strongly. “As long as we win the constructors’ [championship], that’s the main thing, for the team,” he said. “Obviously, I’d like to finish best of the best. But P2, P3, P5 is not champion.”