Antonelli Wins 2026 US GP From Pole in Austin

Key Takeaways

Who won the 2026 United States Grand Prix?

Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, starting from the pole he set in qualifying with a 1:34.035, and taking the 56-lap race in 1:35:16.650 for Mercedes. Charles Leclerc was second, 13.078s behind, after starting fourth. Max Verstappen took third at +17.485s, having started second.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth, Lando Norris fifth and Isack Hadjar sixth. Oscar Piastri was seventh and George Russell eighth. Results are provisional.

Formula 1 counted it as his ninth win of the season: “He takes a dominant win in Austin for his ninth of the season – needing just a handful of points next time out to secure the title!”

From the grid to the flag: the top 10

Leclerc gained two places from fourth on the grid, Norris three from eighth and Hamilton one from fifth. Isack Hadjar, third on the grid, finished sixth, and Russell dropped from sixth to eighth. Piastri, Lawson and Gasly finished where they started. Nico Hülkenberg was the last driver on the lead lap, eleventh for Audi. Source: formula1.com official classification, marked provisional.

Who did not finish?

Three drivers were not classified: Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) after 48 laps, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) after 35 laps and Oliver Bearman (Haas) after 24 laps. The official classification does not give a reason for the three retirements.

What the teams said

Mercedes summed up its day on Instagram: “P1 for Kimi and P8 for George at the Circuit of the Americas 👊”. Ferrari wrote: “A brilliant drive from @charles_leclerc to take P2 in Austin 🔥 🇺🇸”. Red Bull Racing noted that “Max secures his sixth consecutive podium finish, while Isack comes home in P6”.

Mercedes also published the team radio after the flag. Toto Wolff: “Kimi, another small step made.” Antonelli: “Good job everyone, that’s the result we needed. Thank you so much and let’s keep pushing.”

Where does the title fight stand after Austin?

Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings on 365 points, 123 ahead of Russell on 242, with five rounds left. Hamilton is third on 241, Verstappen fourth on 236 and Leclerc fifth on 233.

Before the race, formula1.com wrote that Antonelli needed to win to have any chance of the title in Austin, otherwise he would have to wait until Mexico City at least. He won, but the title was not decided. After the race, Formula 1 wrote that “Kimi Antonelli is just two points away from a permanent place in the history books”. The earliest it can be settled is Mexico City on 1 November, followed by São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Which helmets appeared in Austin?

Several drivers raced in Austin with special helmets revealed during the week. See our coverage of Lewis Hamilton’s space-themed Austin helmet and Max Verstappen’s cowboy helmet for the 2026 US GP.

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