Kimi Antonelli wins U.S. Grand Prix in Texas, putting him on the brink of F1 championship

Key Points:

• Kimi Antonelli won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin with a commanding lights-to-flag performance, extending his lead in the 2026 Formula 1 championship and moving close to becoming the youngest F1 world champion in history.
• At 20 years old, Antonelli leads the championship by 123 points with five races remaining, needing just a few more points to clinch the title, potentially as soon as the Mexico City race next Sunday.
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third in the Austin race, neither of whom are in title contention, while Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and eighth, respectively.
• Antonelli expressed surprise at his dominant season but remains focused on improving and finishing strong, aiming to surpass Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest world champion and become the first Italian champion since 1953.
• The race weekend saw an attendance of 467,000 fans, and despite a penalty setback for Russell, Mercedes aims to secure the constructors’ championship, with Russell still competing for second place in the drivers’ standings.