Kimi Antonelli did his part in Texas. The Mercedes driver took the chequered flag at the Circuit of the Americas just over 13 seconds clear on Sunday, his ninth victory of 2026, and the only reason he is not yet world champion is that his two closest pursuers salvaged enough points behind him.
An early coronation needed three things at once: victory for Antonelli, no better than fifth for Lewis Hamilton and ninth or worse for George Russell. Hamilton crossed the line fourth for Ferrari, while Russell recovered from a penalty to take eighth. The maths keeps them alive, but barely. With five races left, the Italian, who turned 20 only in August, is 123 points clear of his team-mate and 124 ahead of Hamilton.
Strategy did the heavy lifting. Most of the front runners stopped twice; Antonelli stopped once, running a long first stint on mediums before bringing the hards home, and even a late Virtual Safety Car could not dent his margin. Charles Leclerc took second after a long fight with Max Verstappen, finally passing the Red Bull at Turn 12 in the closing stages. Ageing rubber cost McLaren’s Lando Norris a shot at the podium; he came home fifth, one place behind Hamilton.
The picture for next Sunday’s race in Mexico City is simple. A top-nine finish settles it whatever anyone else does, and should the race be won by anyone other than Russell or Hamilton, Antonelli takes the crown even with no points at all. He would become the youngest title winner the sport has seen. “We are very close,” he said, sounding in no hurry to celebrate.
