Antonelli wins US Grand Prix as F1 title decision moves to Mexico

Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix on Sunday to move closer to his first Formula 1 drivers' championship, although the title remains undecided. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen at the Circuit of the Americas. Formula 1's official report recorded a winning margin of 13.078 seconds after 56 laps.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxDTghRx_VA

The Italian converted pole position into his ninth victory of the season, using a single pit stop while Ferrari and Verstappen opted for two. Formula 1 reported that Antonelli extended his opening stint on medium tyres before switching to hard tyres for the remainder of the race. The strategy allowed him to recover the lead as the different pit-stop plans played out.

Leclerc took second after passing Verstappen late in the race, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari. Lando Norris was fifth, followed by Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri. George Russell finished eighth in the other Mercedes, with Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completing the points positions. A late Virtual Safety Car followed Valtteri Bottas stopping his Cadillac beside the track.

Those results prevented Antonelli from clinching the championship in Austin. Sky Sports reported that he needed victory alongside Hamilton finishing outside the top four and Russell placing ninth or lower. Both rivals finished one position better than those thresholds. Antonelli nevertheless left the race 123 points ahead of Russell and 124 ahead of Hamilton, with a maximum of 125 points still available.

In comments published by Formula 1, Antonelli credited Mercedes' work on its new package and the decision to commit to one stop. He described the victory as a collective achievement and expressed a desire to secure the championship with another strong result. The win took his championship total to 365 points, leaving the 20-year-old within reach of becoming the sport's youngest world champion.

The next opportunity comes in Mexico City. According to Formula 1's championship calculation, Antonelli will secure the title there if he loses no more than 23 points to Russell and no more than 24 to Hamilton. For now, Austin has delivered another race victory without a championship celebration, and both of his remaining challengers retain a mathematical chance.