Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, but the Mercedes driver's ninth victory of the season was not enough to secure the 2026 Formula 1 title, according to Car and Driver. The championship will therefore be decided no earlier than next weekend's race in Mexico.
Antonelli, 20, finished ahead of the field in Austin but missed clinching the crown by a single position, the outlet reported. Car and Driver noted that the young Mercedes driver appeared unconcerned by the near miss, treating the title as a matter of time and concentrating on beating Max Verstappen and celebrating on the podium in Texas.
Why it matters
The result keeps the drivers' championship open for at least another week and shifts the decisive stage to Mexico City. For Antonelli, a ninth win in a single season at 20 years old underlines how quickly he has become the benchmark on the grid. Car and Driver observed that he now wins with an ease that belies the difficulty of the task, and suggested he is on course to take a record held by Sebastian Vettel.
For everyone else, Austin offered a reminder of how narrow the margins have become. Verstappen, described by the outlet as the most aggressive driver in the field, could not find a way past the Mercedes and had to settle for a lesser result.
Verstappen's gamble and Leclerc's late move
Verstappen recognised that matching Antonelli's strategy would not be enough, so Red Bull switched him to a two-stop plan, according to Car and Driver. The change did not pay off: the outlet reported that Red Bull got the call wrong, that Verstappen vented his frustration over team radio, and that Charles Leclerc took second place from him at COTA.
The outcome left Ferrari with questions to answer, with El Confidencial describing the Italian team as scratching its head over Antonelli's performance. Leclerc's runner-up finish was nonetheless a strong return on a day when the front of the field was unsettled.
A bruising afternoon for the Spanish drivers
Fernando Alonso's race was compromised almost immediately. Car and Driver reported that Alex Albon damaged the front wing of the Aston Martin at the start, leaving the Spaniard to run at a disadvantage for the rest of the afternoon. Alonso still showed competitive pace, the outlet noted, but spent the race fighting from behind and points proved out of reach. El Confidencial, for its part, saw in his drive evidence that Alonso still has both the appetite and the equipment for a fight.
Carlos Sainz's afternoon was disrupted even earlier. According to Car and Driver, the Williams driver was caught in a dangerous squeeze by Arvid Lindblad at the start, an incident the FIA declined to penalise. The outlet characterised the opening laps as a demolition derby, with the Spanish pair among those worst affected.
Both drivers now head to Mexico, where Car and Driver expects the long straights to suit Honda-powered machinery — a note of optimism for Alonso after a frustrating Sunday in Texas.
What to watch
The championship maths now point to Mexico City, where Antonelli will have his next chance to close out the title. Whether Red Bull can reverse the strategic misstep that cost Verstappen in Austin — and whether Ferrari can keep Leclerc in the fight — will shape the weekend.
