Oct 27, 2026 · pixiplume.com
Antonelli owns Austin, and the title is almost his
Kimi Antonelli started on pole at the Circuit of the Americas, led into Turn 1 and won by 13 seconds. It was the kind of drive that makes a championship feel inevitable.
He didn’t clinch the title on Sunday, but it’s close. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver now leads by 123 points with five races left, and Mexico City could be where he’s crowned.
How the race played out
Antonelli’s qualifying lap was so good that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called it “a miracle lap.” He kept the lead at the start, while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc traded second place before the first lap was even done.
Strategy decided the rest. Mercedes ran Antonelli on a single pit stop, medium tires first and hard tires to the finish. Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all stopped twice. Antonelli’s only scare was a lock-up at Turn 12 while getting past a slow-moving Carlos Sainz.
The real fight was behind him. Verstappen passed Lando Norris for a podium spot, then Leclerc got by Verstappen around lap 50 to take second. Norris faded to fifth on worn tires, and George Russell finished eighth after a five-second penalty for banging wheels with Oscar Piastri.
The results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Winner |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +13.1s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +17.5s |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +18.5s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +30.5s |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes |
Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly took the last points in ninth and tenth. Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman and Valtteri Bottas didn’t finish.
The championship picture
The title race is over in everything but math. Antonelli has 365 points, and the fight for second is tighter than the fight for first ever was. Just nine points separate Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 365 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 242 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 241 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 236 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 233 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 211 |
Mercedes also leads the constructors’ championship with 607 points, 133 ahead of Ferrari.
Next up: Mexico City
The circus moves south this weekend for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with the race on Sunday, November 1. According to RacingNews365, a ninth-place finish or better would make Antonelli the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
The high altitude makes Mexico City a strange track for engines and brakes, and it has produced surprises before. Watch the battle for second too. With four drivers within nine points, every position will count.
Your call
Antonelli is about to become a champion at 20. So tell me in the comments: is this the start of a dynasty, or will someone catch him next year?