2026 United States Grand Prix: Full Classification

Kimi Antonelli moved to the brink of the Formula One world title with a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix, but he will have to wait until next week's race in Mexico City to become the sport's youngest-ever champion.

The 20-year-old finished ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. It was another assured drive from the young Italian, who rarely looked under threat.

2026 United States Grand Prix: An Overview

Antonelli made a strong getaway, while both Red Bull drivers lost a place to the Ferraris of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc made a committed move through the esses to pass Verstappen, but the Dutchman reclaimed the position before the end of the opening lap.

After the frantic opening, the race settled down. The extra grip offered by the soft tyres on Red Bull and Ferrari did not appear to offer the expected advantage, as Antonelli continued to build his lead on the mediums.

Credits:Formularacers

McLaren swapped its drivers on lap eight, allowing Lando Norris to move ahead of Oscar Piastri. George Russell's afternoon became more difficult when he received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage during an opening lap battle with Piastri.

Verstappen made the first major strategic move among the front-runners, pitting on lap 14 for another set of soft tyres. The early stop pointed towards a two-stop strategy, he rejoined in eighth, just ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

Ferrari responded with its own stops over the next laps, with Hamilton and Leclerc switching to the mediums. Mercedes kept Antonelli out, opting not to react immediately to Verstappen's move.

On lap 23, Russell pitted, switching to the hards and serving his penalty. Antonelli was called in soon afterwards at the end of lap 24. He was put on the same compound as his teammate.

The aggressive strategy by Red Bull started encountering issues as Verstappen reported engine braking problems before making his second stop on lap 31, switching to the mediums. Shortly afterwards, Antonelli retook the lead by overtaking Leclerc at the end of the back straight.

Both Ferraris pitted again, switching to the hards, setting up a fight between themselves and Verstappen for the podium places. Firstly, they all had to overtake Norris, who gained track position being on a one-stopper.

Verstappen and Leclerc overtook Norris and had their own battle in the closing stages, with the Ferrari driver coming out on top. Hamilton also joined the fight in the closing laps, passing Norris to take fourth place.

Credits:Photo by Formula One

Hamilton was on the charge towards Verstappen for a third-place finish, but a late virtual safety car caused by Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas briefly interrupted the race. Once it ended, there was no time for any action to occur.

The rest of the top ten finished as follows: Norris in fifth, Isack Hadjar sixth, Piastri seventh, Russell eighth, Liam Lawson ninth and Pierre Gasly rounded off the top 10.

Russell in danger of losing P2 in the championship

While Russell's hopes for a maiden championship look all but over, the battle for second place remains open.

With five rounds remaining, he sits on 242 points, one ahead of his former teammate Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen remains in serious contention on 236, with Leclerc a further three points back on 233.

The season is approaching its conclusion, and the fight for the runner-up spot remains finely poised.

Meanwhile in the constructors, Mercedes continue to lead with 607 points, while Ferrari sit in second on 474. McLaren and Red Bull are both locked in at 355 points.