US Grand Prix result: Kimi Antonelli wins in Austin but must wait to seal title
Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on his first world title in a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old Italian leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 123 points after coming back ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Antonelli will be crowned champion in Mexico next weekend provided he loses no more than 23 points to Russell and 24 to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
This means that ninth place would be enough to become champion even if Russell wins the race, and 10th would be enough if Hamilton is victorious.
If Russell or Hamilton don’t win, Antonelli will be champion next Sunday, no matter where he finishes.
Antonelli stamped his authority on this race in the same way he did all season, and was disconnected from the first corner as his rivals all battled behind him.
The key stories from the race were:
Sublime victory for Antonelli, his first since the Spanish Grand Prix last month
A quarrel that lasts the entire race between Leclerc and Verstappen for second place
Nothing else, frankly
Antonelli took control of the race from the start, a great start combined with a thrilling opening lap battle between Verstappen and Leclerc leaving him more than two seconds ahead at the end of the first lap.
Since then, no one has approached him.
Mercedes had chosen medium tires for the start, while Leclerc and the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar started with new softs.
And Antonelli managed to convert this choice into a one-stop race when everyone else was doing two, emphasizing his superiority by finishing 16 seconds ahead of Leclerc.
The race was also a seal of approval for Mercedes’ upgrade package which was introduced two races ago in Malaysia but initially set them back.
Since then, hard work has brought it to the point where, while still tricky to optimize, it is definitely faster than the old spec.
“It was the result we needed,” Antonelli said. “All this time spent working on the new package and finally seeing the result, it was a very nice and perfect strategy to call the one stop shop.”
Regarding the title, he said: “I know we are very close. We are trying to finish on a good note and I hope we can clinch it very soon.”
Russell, who started sixth, had a frustrating race. He received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and taking the lead, which dropped him to 10th after his pit stop. He was only able to gain two places and finished eighth.
Hamilton’s fourth place means he and fellow Briton Russell remain just about a mathematical chance of winning the championship.
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