Antonelli wins in Austin to build 123-point title lead
The 20-year-old Italian used a one-stop strategy to beat Charles Leclerc by 13 seconds, leaving five races left in the season.
By Charlotte Dubois ·
Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. The 20-year-old Italian driver finished the 56-lap race at the Circuit of the Americas in 1:35:16.650. It was his ninth victory of the season.
Charles Leclerc of Monaco finished second, 13.078 seconds behind Antonelli. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing took third place, 17.485 seconds back. The podium finish placed Verstappen in a position he may have gained partly due to luck, he said.
The result extends Antonelli's championship lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell to 123 points. Five races remain in the season. Russell must win the next race in Mexico City to stay in contention. If Russell does not win, the title will go to Antonelli.
Strategy decided the race outcome. Most teams used a two-stop plan. Antonelli stayed out until Lap 25, made a single pit stop, and did not return to the pit lane. He credited his team for the decision. "It was a perfect way to end the weekend; it was an incredible team effort, especially from strategy to believe in me and go for one stop," he said.
A Virtual Safety Car was triggered on Lap 52 when Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac stopped on the track. It remained in effect until the penultimate lap. By that point, no driver was in a position to catch Antonelli.
Mercedes also extended its lead in the constructors' standings to 133 points over Ferrari. Mercedes has 607 points, while Ferrari has 474. Antonelli has now won both United States races on this year's calendar.
Verstappen, who won every title from 2021 to 2024, is now mathematically out of this year's title fight. He will go two years without a world championship. "Our overall pace was not good enough, and the tyres we had available were not the right ones," he said. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called it the best race Antonelli has produced so far. "Getting off the start with the inferior tyre and then controlling it at all times. The race of a champion who isn't the champion yet, but exceptional," Wolff said.
