Antonelli misses out on clinching F1 title despite dominant US Grand Prix win
- 20-year-old Italian has chance to be youngest F1 champion next weekend in Mexico City
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- 20-year-old Italian has chance to be youngest F1 champion next weekend in Mexico City
By Efe Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli moved closer to his maiden Formula One world title with a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Italian finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc but narrowly missed the opportunity to clinch the championship in Austin, Texas.
Antonelli now leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 123 points with the championship set to continue in Mexico City next weekend.
He will be crowned world champion if he does not lose more than 23 points to Russell or 24 points to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in Mexico.
A ninth-place finish would therefore be enough for Antonelli to secure the title even if Russell wins the race, while 10th place would be sufficient if Hamilton takes victory.
If neither Russell nor Hamilton wins in Mexico City, Antonelli will become world champion regardless of where he finishes.
Antonelli dominated Sunday's race in the same fashion as he has controlled much of the 2026 season, pulling clear of the field from the opening corner as his rivals battled behind him.
The victory was Antonelli's first since the Spanish Grand Prix last month and his ninth of the season.
The main battle of the race was for second place, with Verstappen and Leclerc engaged in a race-long contest.
Despite missing the chance to seal the championship in the US, Antonelli now has a clear opportunity to complete his title-winning campaign in Mexico City next weekend.
Efe Özkan