Kimi Antonelli converted pole into victory in the United States Grand Prix, finishing 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc after a one-stop race on medium and hard tyres. The 25 points take him to 365, 123 clear of George Russell with 125 still available over five rounds: the title is not decided, but it can be in Mexico City next weekend.

Leclerc started fourth and was second after two stops, with the fastest lap of the race (1:37.976 on lap 42). Max Verstappen was third, 17.485s behind, and Lewis Hamilton fourth, 18.515s behind. Lando Norris gained three places to finish fifth.

The tyres decided it

Antonelli did not start on the soft tyres he used to take pole: he began on the medium and stopped once, on lap 24, for the hard. Seven of the top ten made one stop and three made two. The hard compound, which Pirelli’s preview expected to favour a one-stop, was used by nine of the first ten; Verstappen was the exception, on soft-soft-medium with stops on laps 13 and 31 and a podium. Ferrari split the race the other way: Leclerc stopped on laps 15 and 39 and Hamilton on laps 14 and 38, both on soft-medium-hard. Our strategy preview had both options on the table.

Hadjar, third on the grid, made a single stop on lap 25 from soft to hard and finished sixth, three places down and 34.373s behind Antonelli. Norris stopped on lap 16, from medium to hard, and passed three cars on the way to fifth.

Penalties, retirements and the VSCs

Russell was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, served on lap 24, and finished eighth from sixth on the grid. Oliver Bearman was given ten seconds for causing a collision and did not finish, having completed 24 laps. Valtteri Bottas (48 laps) and Franco Colapinto (35 laps) were the other two non-finishers. There was a Virtual Safety Car on lap 2, lasting 14 seconds, and another from lap 51 to lap 53, before the chequered flag on lap 56. It stayed dry, with air temperature at 26.9°C and track temperature falling from 38.3°C to 34.1°C.

Points and the title picture

Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points, and there are five rounds and 125 points left, with no Sprint on the calendar. He fell two points short of clinching in Austin, where he needed a lead above 125. It can still happen in Mexico City on Sunday, November 1. After that race, four rounds (100 points) will remain, so he is champion if his lead over every rival is above 100. Only two results stop him: Russell winning while Antonelli finishes ninth or lower, or Hamilton winning while Antonelli is tenth or lower. Anything else gives him the title in Mexico.

Mercedes lead the constructors’ standings with 607 points, ahead of Ferrari (474), who gained 30 in Austin to Mercedes’ 29. Red Bull and McLaren are tied on 355.

Sources

Classification, stints, pit stops, race control messages, championship and weather: OpenF1 session results, laps, stints, pit stops, race control messages and championship for the United States Grand Prix (session 11396). Grid: our qualifying report.