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Antonelli wins US Grand Prix, title still waiting
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver took his ninth win in Austin and is 123 points clear of team-mate George Russell, but he still needs one more race to win the title.
26 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
Kimi Antonelli dominated the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, clinching his ninth win of the 2026 season and stretching his lead to 123 points over George Russell. The title fight now heads to Mexico City next weekend.
Strategy keeps him ahead
He won on a one-stop strategy and kept the lead as Red Bull and Ferrari pushed hard. Antonelli built an early gap, held off a late challenge from Charles Leclerc, and kept the advantage through the final laps. A short virtual safety car briefly paused the race.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, with Russell eighth. Leclerc took second after a strong drive, and Max Verstappen finished third on the podium. Liam Lawson was ninth and Pierre Gasly tenth. Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman failed to finish the 56-lap race.
Antonelli said, “It was the result we needed. The whole team deserve it so much… All this time putting so much work on bringing this new package and finally seeing the result is very pleasant.” He praised the strategy call for the one-stop and said the team were very close to the title, hoping to clinch it soon.
With 125 points still available over the next five races, Antonelli needs only two points at the Mexico City Grand Prix to become Formula 1’s youngest ever world champion.