Sportsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 6 March 2026Kimi Antonelli Wins United States Grand Prix, Moves Two Points From F1 Title
10 Western Mainstream4 OtherPhoto: Yu Chu Chin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix from pole, his ninth win of 2026. The victory leaves him two points from the title with Mexico City to decide.
Antonelli closes in
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin and moved to within two points of clinching the Formula One world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend. Toto Wolff said the race was "the best he has delivered so far" and also called it "the race of a champion who isn't the champion yet" as Antonelli took a dominant lights-to-flag drive. Antonelli’s victory put him in a position where he could win the title if he finished ninth, or 10th if Lewis Hamilton won in Mexico City, while George Russell’s result also shaped the remaining scenarios.
The title situation left Antonelli so far ahead in the points that the only way he could not win the title in Mexico City next weekend was if either George Russell or Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton won the race. Antonelli was just two points away from clinching his first title after beating Charles Leclerc into second and Max Verstappen into third at the Circuit of the Americas.
Rivals and radio
George Russell finished eighth in Austin after a five-second time penalty for a clash with Oscar Piastri, and he told Sky Sports that "The pace was rubbish today – that's the long and short of it."
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, and the BBC framed the title math around Hamilton winning in Mexico City and Antonelli finishing 10th, while Russell’s win would also keep the championship alive.
Antonelli told his engineer Peter Bonnington, "Yeah! That’s how we do it," as he crossed the line at the Circuit of the Americas, and he later said, "Another small step," to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff over the radio.
Max Verstappen reacted to the race with frustration, saying "Yeah, that was terrible," and listing problems including "shit pit stop" and "shit engine braking."
NBC News said there were boos on the podium as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, presented the winner’s trophy to Antonelli, and the boos turned to cheers as Antonelli hoisted it.
Mexico and what’s at stake
Antonelli entered the Mexico City Grand Prix with a points lead that NBC News put at 123 points ahead of his nearest rival, with a maximum of 125 points up for grabs. Antonelli would definitely clinch the title with four rounds to spare in Mexico if he finishes anywhere in the top nine, and Antonelli would be assured of the title if neither Russell nor Hamilton win the race. Antonelli now trailed Russell by 123 points with 125 left to play over the remaining five rounds, while Russell said he "does not have the answers" to his issues right now.
Antonelli needed to win with Russell finishing ninth or below and Hamilton taking fifth, but it said Russell finished eighth and Leclerc finished fourth, leaving the fight going on to next weekend. F1 officials counted an attendance of 467,000 this weekend at the United States Grand Prix, as Antonelli extended his already commanding lead and moved toward becoming the first Italian to win the world championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953.