Overview
- Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday with a dominant one-stop drive, finishing about 13 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc.
- Antonelli leaves COTA 123 points clear of teammate George Russell with five races remaining and requires two points — a ninth-place finish — in Mexico City next weekend to be certain of the title.
- George Russell was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage and finished eighth, while Lewis Hamilton’s fourth place also kept both drivers in theoretical contention and denied Antonelli an Austin coronation.
- Mercedes’ recent upgrade and the team’s decision to run a one-stop strategy were credited for Antonelli’s pace, while Max Verstappen recovered to third after complaining of engine-mapping and engine-braking problems that made his car difficult to drive.
- Several drivers raised safety and performance concerns about running modern F1 cars very low and stiff on bumpy circuits like COTA, with calls for more frequent resurfacing as teams weigh car setup against track damage and fragility.