Antonelli moves within 2 points of F1 title as Russell and Hamilton survive Austin showdown

News Summary

• Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship with 365 points after winning the United States Grand Prix, extending his advantage over George Russell to 123 points.
• Russell remains second with 242 points, just one ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have been mathematically eliminated from the Drivers’ Championship.
• Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 607 points, ahead of Ferrari on 474, while McLaren and Red Bull are tied on 355 with five Grands Prix remaining.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has moved within reach of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship after winning Sunday’s (October 25) United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas. The Mercedes driver extended his lead over teammate George Russell to 123 points, with Lewis Hamilton a further point behind, leaving only two mathematical challengers to the Italian’s first world title.

Antonelli claimed his ninth victory of the season with a successful one-stop strategy in Austin, defeating Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. However, Russell’s eighth-place finish and Hamilton’s fourth place prevented the championship from being settled, with 125 points still available across the final five Grands Prix.

F1 2026 Drivers’ Championship standings after United States GP

The Austin result strengthened Antonelli’s position considerably. The Italian arrived at Circuit of The Americas with 340 points, holding a 102-point advantage over Russell and 111 over Hamilton.

Victory added another 25 points to his total, while Russell collected four for finishing eighth. Hamilton scored 12 with fourth place after overtaking Lando Norris during the closing stages.

The difference between Antonelli and Russell therefore increased by 21 points, leaving the two Mercedes drivers separated by 123 points.

Hamilton remains third, one point behind Russell, while Verstappen and Leclerc complete the top five after finishing third and second respectively.

The Ferrari driver gained three points on Verstappen in Austin, reducing the gap between them to just three. Norris remains sixth, followed by Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly.

2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship — Complete standings after US GP

Standings calculated from the championship totals before Austin and the United States Grand Prix top-ten finishers. All 23 drivers who have appeared in the 2026 championship are included, including Yuki Tsunoda.

The most important consequence of the race is that only Antonelli, Russell and Hamilton remain mathematically in contention for the Drivers’ Championship.

Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris can no longer reach Antonelli’s current total even if they win all five remaining races.

The classification also highlights several important battles further down the order. Piastri remains seventh with 144 points, followed by Hadjar on 105 and Lawson on 77.

Lawson secured another points finish after Racing Bulls chose to preserve his tyres during Austin qualifying, adding two points to his championship total.

Gasly also gained a point by finishing tenth, reaching 42 for Alpine. His teammate Colapinto remains on 27 after starting towards the back of the grid because of a power-unit penalty.

Bortoleto, meanwhile, remains 15th in the standings with ten points after Audi’s extensive component changes forced him towards the back of the Austin starting grid.

Why Antonelli did not secure the F1 championship in Austin

Antonelli arrived in Texas knowing that victory would not automatically guarantee the championship.

The Mercedes driver needed Russell to finish ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower to establish an advantage that could not be overturned over the final five rounds.

Although he completed the first requirement by winning, both British drivers finished high enough to keep their mathematical chances alive.

Russell’s eighth place earned four points, leaving him 123 behind Antonelli. Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, taking his total to 241 and reducing his deficit to 124.

With 125 points still available, both remain capable of catching the Italian, although they would need an extraordinary sequence of results.

The deciding factor for Russell was particularly narrow. Had he finished ninth instead of eighth, Antonelli would have become champion after Austin.

The Italian would have held a 125-point advantage, exactly matching the maximum still available. However, his nine victories would have secured the title on countback, because Russell could finish the season with no more than eight wins.

The situation follows the scenarios detailed in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s pre-race analysis of Antonelli’s championship permutations.

What does Antonelli need to win the F1 title in Mexico?

The championship calculations become considerably simpler at the Mexican Grand Prix, scheduled for November 1.

After Mexico City, only four races will remain, offering a maximum of 100 points.

Antonelli currently leads Russell by 123 points and Hamilton by 124. Consequently, a ninth-place finish in Mexico will guarantee the championship, regardless of the results achieved by his closest rivals.

Ninth place awards two points. Even if Russell wins the Mexican Grand Prix, the difference would remain at exactly 100 points, with Antonelli holding the decisive advantage on countback.

Hamilton would be eliminated under the same circumstances because his current deficit is already one point greater than Russell’s.

How Andrea Kimi Antonelli can win the title in Mexico

Scenarios assume full points are awarded in Mexico and no subsequent championship adjustments.

Even without scoring, Antonelli could secure the championship if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the Mexican Grand Prix.

The Italian therefore approaches Mexico City in an exceptionally strong position. He has already claimed nine victories during the season and no longer needs to win another race to secure the World Championship.

His ninth victory, achieved through Mercedes’ effective tyre strategy in Austin, has left him needing only a modest points finish to complete the championship.

Hamilton closes to within one point of Russell as Ferrari challenges Mercedes

While Antonelli has established an overwhelming advantage at the top, the battle for second place remains particularly close.

Russell has 242 points, with Hamilton immediately behind on 241, following the British drivers’ contrasting afternoons in Austin.

Russell began the race sixth but received a five-second penalty after an early incident involving Piastri. The setback complicated his strategy and forced him to recover positions following his pit stop.

Although eighth place was enough to delay Antonelli’s championship celebrations, Russell collected only four points.

Hamilton, meanwhile, delivered a stronger result after Ferrari recovered from its disappointing qualifying session.

The seven-time World Champion overtook Norris in the closing stages to secure fourth place, collecting 12 points and reducing the difference to Russell from nine to one.

Ferrari also benefited from Leclerc’s second place, with the Monegasque passing Verstappen during the final stint to complete an encouraging result for the Italian manufacturer.

The performance followed a weekend in which Ferrari had dominated free practice before Mercedes overturned the competitive order in qualifying.

Hamilton and Leclerc therefore head to Mexico with renewed momentum, particularly as the Scuderia attempts to reduce Mercedes’ advantage in the Constructors’ Championship.

F1 2026 Constructors’ Championship after United States GP

Mercedes also extended its Constructors’ Championship lead in Austin, collecting 29 points through Antonelli’s victory and Russell’s eighth-place finish.

The German manufacturer now has 607 points, compared with Ferrari’s 474.

Ferrari actually outscored Mercedes by one point in the United States, with Leclerc and Hamilton combining for 30 points.

Red Bull added 23 through Verstappen’s third place and Hadjar’s sixth, while McLaren collected 16 with Norris fifth and Piastri seventh.

The results bring McLaren and Red Bull level on 355 points, making the battle for third one of the closest contests in the Constructors’ Championship.

2026 F1 Constructors’ Championship — Complete standings after US GP

McLaren and Red Bull are tied on 355 points. Their official third- and fourth-place ordering requires confirmation of the FIA countback. Points are calculated from the pre-race constructors’ standings and the reported Austin top ten.

The result means Mercedes now leads Ferrari by 133 points, a reduction of one compared with the difference before Austin.

However, the Constructors’ Championship remains open because a maximum of 43 points can be scored by a team in a conventional Grand Prix, leaving up to 215 points available across the final five rounds.

McLaren and Red Bull are effectively level in the fight for third, while Racing Bulls has consolidated fifth place with 102 points.

Alpine remains sixth on 69, followed by Haas, Audi, Williams, Aston Martin and Cadillac.

Verstappen and Leclerc eliminated from Drivers’ Championship after Austin podium

Although Verstappen and Leclerc completed the podium, neither can mathematically catch Antonelli in the remaining races.

Verstappen collected 15 points for finishing third, increasing his total to 236 points, but the deficit to Antonelli is now 129.

With only 125 points available, the Red Bull driver can reach a maximum of 361, four fewer than Antonelli’s current total.

Leclerc faces a similar situation. His second-place finish brought his championship score to 233, but he remains 132 points behind.

Even if the Ferrari driver wins all five remaining races, he can reach only 358 points.

The elimination of both drivers is particularly significant given Red Bull’s recent recovery and Verstappen’s strong performances before Austin.

Verstappen arrived in Texas after consecutive victories in Malaysia and Singapore, but Antonelli’s latest success has removed any remaining mathematical chance of a late championship comeback.

Leclerc, meanwhile, remains involved in the fight for fourth place, trailing Verstappen by only three points.

The Ferrari driver is also just eight points behind Hamilton, while Norris remains sixth and Piastri seventh.

How many races remain in the 2026 Formula 1 season?

Five Grands Prix remain following the United States, beginning with the Mexican Grand Prix on November 1.

Mexico City will be followed by São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, where the championship concludes on December 6.

Remaining 2026 Formula 1 calendar

The next opportunity for Antonelli to secure the title comes at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where he will need to finish only ninth or better to become champion regardless of Russell’s and Hamilton’s results.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every development from the United States Grand Prix and the build-up to the Mexican Grand Prix, with race results, complete championship standings, analysis and full coverage in its Formula 1 section.

FAQ

Who leads the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship after the United States Grand Prix?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads with 365 points following his victory in Austin. George Russell is second with 242 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 241.

What are the complete F1 Constructors’ Championship standings after Austin?

Mercedes leads with 607 points, followed by Ferrari on 474. McLaren and Red Bull are tied on 355, ahead of Racing Bulls (102), Alpine (69), Haas (30), Audi (23), Williams (12), Aston Martin (7) and Cadillac (0).

Can Andrea Kimi Antonelli win the 2026 F1 title at the Mexican Grand Prix?

Yes. Antonelli will secure the title by finishing ninth or higher in Mexico, regardless of the results achieved by Russell and Hamilton. He can also become champion without scoring if neither of his remaining championship rivals wins the race.