Antonelli wins United States GP as Leclerc passes Verstappen for second

Kimi Antonelli converted pole into a one-stop victory in the United States Grand Prix in Austin, winning by a comfortable margin. He said he was able to control the race, but did not think anyone in the Mercedes camp had expected to win after Friday. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc passed Max Verstappen late for second, leaving the Red Bull driver third.

Antonelli started on medium tyres, launched well and built an advantage as Mercedes held to a one-stop strategy while rivals on two-stop plans began to pit. He switched to hard tyres at his only stop and held the lead to the finish.

After his late second stop for hard tyres, Leclerc became the fastest man on track. He caught Verstappen and passed him, but had no time to chase Antonelli. Verstappen said the tyres had not worked as expected and that Red Bull had struggled with engine consistency. Team principal Laurent Mekies said Verstappen’s car hit debris around lap eight and suffered damage; other issues hurt its balance and pace and increased degradation.

George Russell finished eighth after receiving a five-second penalty on the opening lap for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while fighting Oscar Piastri. Russell said he lacked pace and could not pass Piastri after catching the McLaren.

Oliver Bearman received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly, then retired because the damage was too great to continue. Bearman said he considered it a racing incident and felt Gasly had left room for only half a car. Gasly described the contact as small but said it caused significant floor damage; he finished tenth.

Antonelli’s win extended his championship lead and made a title clinch in Mexico City highly likely.