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Kimi Antonelli Leads George Russell by 102 Points Ahead of 2026 United States GP in Austin
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Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 102 points ahead of US Grand Prix in Austin. US Grand Prix in Austin is 18th 2026 round where Antonelli could clinch title.
Austin set for Round 18
Formula 1 heads to the United States for the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, with the inaugural race in 2012 and the weekend scheduled for October 23 to 25, 2026. Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Circuit of the Americas for the 18th round of the 2026 season with a 102-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton sits 111 points behind Antonelli. The schedule sets Free Practice 1 for October 23 at 10:30 (PDT) and 13:30 (EDT), with Free Practice 2 at 14:00 (PDT) and 17:00 (EDT) and qualifying at 14:00 (PDT) and 17:00 (EDT) on October 24.
The United States Grand Prix is set for October 25 at 13:00 (PDT) and 16:00 (EDT), and the weekend is described as the second American round of a triple of races. The Circuit of the Americas is noted as a 5.513 km track with 20 corners, and the race requires 56 laps for a total distance of 308.405 km.
Title math and rivals
Kimi Antonelli’s first chance to be crowned world champion in Austin is framed around his 102-point advantage over George Russell and the requirement that he win the race to keep celebrations on hold for at least one more week if he does not. George Russell is described as Antonelli’s nearest challenger, and the scenario is laid out that Russell would need to finish no higher than ninth for Antonelli to become champion should he win. Lewis Hamilton is positioned as a key constraint, with the condition that Hamilton must come home no higher than fifth in the United States Grand Prix if Antonelli wins.
Max Verstappen is presented as the other major threat, with the sport’s preview noting that Verstappen has won each of the last two races, the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, and also won the Sprint in Singapore. Toto Wolff tells PlanetF1.com that “this is not a likely scenario,” while he says the aim must be to score points, not to lose too many on the others.
Where to watch and stakes
Broadcast plans place the United States Grand Prix on ESPN in the United States, while the F1 official service is listed as F1TV Pro in all countries except Spain. The schedule details also point to DAZN as a way to watch, with laSexta listing that the United States GP can be watched on television via DAZN and that live minute-by-minute coverage runs on the laSexta website. The stakes for the title fight are tied to what happens after Austin, with the next race listed as Mexico Grand Prix (October 30–November 1) and the season’s remaining rounds described as six rounds remain in the championship.
The preview also emphasizes that upgrades and development remain central, with the Motorsport.com storyline noting that McLaren are planning on introducing further upgrades in Austin and that other teams are expected to continue developing their cars. The weekend’s title implications are summarized through the points math that if Antonelli wins in Austin, Russell would need to finish eighth or better to keep the suspense alive until Mexico, and Lewis Hamilton would need to finish at least fifth.