By: The race in Austin has just come to an end, delivering plenty of twists and turns: here is what happened.
The start: Verstappen and Leclerc in a fiery duel!
When the lights went out, Antonelli made an excellent start, while the Red Bull pair were slower away. Verstappen was immediately involved in an intense battle with Leclerc, who managed to overtake the Dutchman, but only for a few corners: the #3 reclaimed the position before the end of the opening lap. Hadjar slipped to fifth, pursued by Russell and the McLaren pair. Bearman also made a fine start, climbing into 10th.
Looking at the tyre compounds, the leading contenders made different choices: Verstappen, Hadjar, Leclerc and Hamilton started on softs, while Antonelli, Russell, Norris and Piastri opted for mediums. On lap 5 of 56, the top 10 was: ANT-VER-LEC-HAM-HAD-RUS-PIA-NOR-LAW-BEA.
Penalty for Russell as pit-stop strategies get under way
At the start, the Briton found himself battling with Piastri and went off track at Turn 13. The incident was investigated and the FIA decided to hand the Mercedes driver a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage. It was a completely different start to the race for Antonelli, who showed consistent pace that was clearly superior to that of his pursuers.
Verstappen and Hamilton in particular were struggling, and chose to make their first stops between laps 14 and 15: the Dutchman opted for another set of softs, while the Briton switched to mediums. Leclerc and Piastri also pitted on lap 16, with the Monegasque following Hamilton's choice and the McLaren driver trying hards; Norris also went for the hard compound.
Antonelli pits, Leclerc has a go
After an excellent stint on the medium tyre, the #12 temporarily surrendered the lead to make his stop on lap 24, fitting hard tyres; he rejoined in third, behind Leclerc and Verstappen. George Russell had made his stop a lap earlier, serving his penalty. On lap 28 of 56, the top 10 read: VER-LEC-ANT-HAM-NOR-HAD-PIA-RUS-HUL-ALO. Bearman was forced to retire with problems on his VF-26.
Antonelli quickly began setting benchmark times, closing the gap to Leclerc and Verstappen. The Dutchman, struggling badly with the balance of his RB22, was forced to pit again on lap 32 for medium tyres, dropping to fifth amid clear signs of frustration. Meanwhile, the Italian passed the Monegasque without difficulty to retake the lead. It was a very different story for George Russell, who was anonymous and battling Piastri for seventh place.
Further back, Lawson and Gasly held ninth and 10th respectively, maintaining as much as a six-second margin over Lindblad.
Final laps
While Antonelli continued to impress with some truly competitive laps, the Ferrari pair opted to pit for hard tyres; Leclerc rejoined in fourth and Hamilton in sixth. The Monegasque then put together some very quick laps, rapidly catching Norris and Verstappen to create a three-way fight for second place.
While Verstappen managed to pass Norris, Leclerc overtook both of them within a few laps to move into second, 16 seconds behind the unchallenged Antonelli. Meanwhile, Hamilton attempted to attack Norris and Verstappen in a bid to snatch third. The #44 passed the #1 without difficulty and set his sights on Verstappen, but the Virtual Safety Car on lap 49, caused by Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac, put the Ferrari driver's charge on hold.
At the chequered flag, Kimi Antonelli claimed a superb victory, but the title celebrations are postponed until Mexico. Leclerc and Verstappen joined him on the podium; Hamilton was fourth and Russell eighth. The full classification follows.
Cover photo by Luca Martini / WHYOUT images
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the United States GP 2026
