Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix 2026 on 25 October 2026 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The 20-year-old Italian driver for Mercedes started from pole position and beat Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds for his ninth win of the season. The result took Antonelli to 365 points and left him one finish away from becoming the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Who Is Andrea Kimi Antonelli?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is an Italian racing driver who competes for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in Formula 1. He was born on 25 August 2006 in Bologna, Italy, so he was 20 years old at the time of the Austin win. Antonelli races with car number 12.
Antonelli is the son of former sports car driver Marco Antonelli and joined the Mercedes junior programme in 2019 at the age of 12. He rose quickly through junior categories, winning the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles in 2022 and the Formula Regional Middle East and European titles in 2023. Mercedes promoted him to its senior team in 2025 as the replacement for seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, pairing him with British driver George Russell.
In 2025 Antonelli finished seventh with 150 points and three podiums. In 2026, his second season, he became the team leader under new technical rules. By the United States Grand Prix he had already set records as the youngest driver to take a pole position, the youngest to lead the world championship and the youngest to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
How The United States Grand Prix 2026 Was Won
The United States Grand Prix 2026 took place on 25 October 2026 over 56 laps of the Circuit of the Americas. Antonelli took pole position with a time of 1 minute 34.035 seconds, ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. He held the lead at the first turn after a slow start by Verstappen.
Mercedes kept Antonelli on a one stop strategy. He ran a long first stint on medium tyres and then managed hard tyres to the finish. Most of his direct rivals, including Verstappen and both Ferrari drivers, stopped twice. The plan worked. Antonelli finished in 1 hour 35 minutes 16.650 seconds, 13.078 seconds ahead of Leclerc, even after a late Virtual Safety Car closed the field. A Virtual Safety Car is a period when drivers must slow down and keep gaps, but pit stops and overtaking under normal racing conditions are not allowed.
The final order in Austin showed how the strategy shaped the result.
| Position | Driver | Team | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Winner | 25 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | plus 13.078 seconds | 18 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | plus 17.485 seconds | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | plus 18.515 seconds | 12 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | plus 30.521 seconds | 10 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | plus 34.373 seconds | 8 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | plus 52.674 seconds | 6 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes | plus 54.303 seconds | 4 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | plus 79.183 seconds | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | plus 87.516 seconds | 1 |
Leclerc passed Verstappen late in the race for second place, his second straight runner up finish. Verstappen held off Hamilton for third despite car problems. Norris finished fifth for McLaren. Russell finished eighth after a difficult race that included a five second penalty for an opening lap incident and a long fight with Piastri.
What Is The Circuit Of The Americas?
The Circuit of the Americas, often shortened to COTA, is a purpose built racing track near Austin, Texas in the United States. The track was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke and opened on 21 October 2012. It was the first track in the United States built specially for Formula 1.
The Formula 1 layout has these key features.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 5.513 km |
| Turns | 20 |
| Race laps | 56 |
| Race distance | 308.432 km |
| Lap record | 1 minute 36.169 seconds by Charles Leclerc in 2019 |
The track rises 41 metres to the blind first turn and mixes fast sweeping sections with a tight stadium section at the end. It has hosted the United States Grand Prix every year since 2012, except 2020 when the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver at the venue with five wins at Austin, while Ferrari is the most successful team at the United States Grand Prix with 11 wins up to 2026.
What Is Formula 1 Racing And How Is The Champion Decided?
Formula 1 is the highest class of single seater car racing. It is run by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world governing body for motorsport, which is headquartered in Paris. In 2026 the championship had a maximum of 24 rounds, each called a Grand Prix, with two drivers entered by each team.
A Grand Prix weekend has three free practice sessions, a qualifying session and the race. Qualifying decides the starting order. In 2026, with 22 cars on the grid after the entry of the Cadillac team, qualifying had three knockout parts.
| Session | Duration | Cars | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 18 minutes | 22 | Six slowest fill places 17 to 22 |
| Q2 | 15 minutes | 16 | Six slowest fill places 11 to 16 |
| Q3 | 12 minutes | 10 | Fastest driver takes pole position |
The driver who sets the fastest time in Q3 starts first. That first starting slot is called pole position.
How F1 Points Work
The FIA Formula One World Championship has two titles each year. The Drivers Championship goes to the driver with the most points. The Constructors Championship goes to the team with the highest combined total from its two drivers. Points from every Grand Prix and Sprint race are added together. There are no playoffs.
For a full length Grand Prix, points go to the top 10 finishers.
| Place | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Sprint races are shorter races held at selected events. The top eight finishers in a Sprint score 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points. There is no bonus point for the fastest lap since 2025.
If two drivers finish the season level on points, the driver with more Grand Prix wins ranks higher. If wins are equal, the count moves to second places, then third places, and so on.
Why The Austin Win Put Antonelli On The Verge Of History
The Austin victory was Antonelli’s ninth win of the 2026 season. It raised his total to 365 points, giving him a 123 point lead over George Russell with five rounds left. Russell finished eighth and Hamilton finished fourth in Austin, so the title fight stayed alive by a narrow margin.
Mercedes left Texas needing only a ninth place finish for Antonelli at the next round in Mexico City to seal the title. That result came one week later. Antonelli finished third in Mexico on 1 November 2026 and became world champion at 20 years and 68 days.
The Mexico result broke the previous record for the youngest world champion held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years and 134 days old when he won the 2010 title with Red Bull. Antonelli also became the first Italian world champion in 73 years since Alberto Ascari in 1953, and the 36th world champion in Formula 1 history. Mercedes also closed in on the Constructors Championship, leading Ferrari by 126 points after Mexico.
Key Takeaways
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix 2026 on 25 October 2026 for Mercedes at the Circuit of the Americas.
- Antonelli started from pole position with 1 minute 34.035 seconds and won by 13.078 seconds over Charles Leclerc for his ninth win of 2026.
- The Circuit of the Americas in Austin is 5.513 km long and hosts a 56 lap race over 308.432 km.
- A full Grand Prix awards 25 points for first place down to 1 point for tenth, while a Sprint awards 8 points down to 1 for the top eight.
- Antonelli became world champion in Mexico at 20 years and 68 days, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record and becoming Italy’s first champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
