Antonelli controls US Grand Prix for ninth win of 2026

Kimi Antonelli turned pole into a commanding United States Grand Prix win, finishing 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc at Circuit of The Americas. Max Verstappen finished third, a further 4.407 seconds behind Leclerc.

Leclerc moved ahead of Verstappen in the opening exchanges, but the Red Bull driver reclaimed second before the end of the first lap. Antonelli held the lead into Turn 1 and had almost three seconds in hand by lap 10. A brief Virtual Safety Car to recover debris did little to disrupt his progress.

Verstappen triggered the first round of stops on lap 14, switching to soft tyres and rejoining eighth. Mercedes kept Antonelli on mediums longer; his sole stop came at the end of lap 24, when he switched to hards and rejoined fourth. The longer first stint gave Mercedes the strategic advantage it needed. Antonelli then passed Leclerc to retake the lead.

With 20 laps remaining, Antonelli led Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. A lock-up at Turn 12 followed a tense encounter with backmarker Carlos Sainz, but Antonelli quickly regained his rhythm and continued to build his advantage.

Verstappen passed Lando Norris at the start of lap 47; Leclerc then overtook Norris and moved ahead of Verstappen to take second. A second Virtual Safety Car came when Valtteri Bottas stopped his Cadillac, but Antonelli's substantial lead meant the interruption posed little threat. He maintained control when racing resumed, sealing his ninth victory of the season.