Kimi Antonelli delivered his most complete performance of his young Formula 1 career at the Circuit of the Americas, turning pole position into a United States Grand Prix win and bringing him to the brink of a first world championship.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver crossed the line in 1:35:16.650, finishing 13.078 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Max Verstappen completing the podium in third.
The result marked Antonelli’s ninth win of the 2026 season, and it came after a weekend that began unevenly.
After the race, he said neither he nor the team expected to be celebrating on Sunday after a difficult Friday, making the recovery through qualifying and the race especially important.
Mercedes’ decision to pursue a one-stop strategy proved decisive. Antonelli admitted he had been uncertain whether one stop or two would be quicker, but praised the strategy group for backing the bolder call.
The team’s execution let him manage the race from the front, protect the tires, and maintain control under sustained pressure.
“I knew I couldn’t afford to make a mistake,” Antonelli said. “I just tried to stay calm, focus on each lap and execute the race.”
He also described the victory as the result Mercedes needed after extensive work on its updated package, calling it “a great team effort.”
Antonelli now leads the drivers’ championship by 123 points, with only 125 available across the remaining rounds.
That means he can secure the title in Mexico City next weekend if teammate George Russell fails to win; a ninth-place finish would also make the championship mathematically certain.
The victory also strengthened the argument that Antonelli has developed into more than a fast qualifier.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called it the best race the Italian has delivered so far, noting that he started on the slower medium tire, controlled the contest throughout and appeared to extract more from the car than expected. Wolff described it as “the race of a champion who isn’t a champion yet.”
Image credits: Clive Rose/ Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
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