F1 today: Verstappen’s comeback puts McLaren under pressure as Antonelli closes on title

Max Verstappen’s remarkable Formula 1 comeback is increasing the pressure on McLaren ahead of the United States Grand Prix, with Red Bull closing to within seven points of the Woking team in the Constructors’ Championship. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli is preparing for his first mathematical opportunity to secure the Drivers’ Championship in Austin, and Mercedes is approaching its own title celebration.

Sunday, October 18, brings new developments involving McLaren’s difficult 2026 car, Fernando Alonso’s unexpectedly competitive Aston Martin chassis and Gabriel Bortoleto’s conversations with Verstappen about building Audi into a winning organisation. There is no Formula 1 race this weekend, but preparations are intensifying for the championship’s return to Texas on October 23–25.

Here are the main stories from the latest Formula 1 coverage.

Verstappen’s recovery leaves McLaren facing Red Bull threat

Red Bull has emerged as one of Formula 1’s strongest teams since the summer break, transforming a difficult season into consecutive victories for Verstappen in Malaysia and Singapore.

The improvement is especially striking when comparing qualifying performance. At Azerbaijan, Verstappen was 1.52% slower than the pole-position benchmark. Just two races later, he was securing pole positions and winning Grands Prix on circuits with very different characteristics.

Red Bull’s gains have come through a combination of aerodynamic development, improved car balance and refinements to the Ford-backed power unit’s energy management.

The resurgence has also changed the Constructors’ Championship battle. McLaren holds third place with 339 points, just seven ahead of Red Bull on 332. The two teams will resume their fight in Austin, where McLaren is preparing updates to defend its position.

GRANDE PRÊMIO’s analysis of Verstappen’s recovery examines the qualifying figures and the scale of Red Bull’s improvement.

Norris admits McLaren’s 2026 car is mentally exhausting

Lando Norris has acknowledged that McLaren’s MCL40 is particularly demanding to drive, with its unpredictable behaviour forcing the drivers to concentrate intensely through almost every corner.

Speaking about the difficulties McLaren has experienced under Formula 1’s new technical regulations, Norris described the car as mentally exhausting and admitted that the team lacks the performance required to consistently challenge the leading competitors.

The situation contrasts with McLaren’s success in previous seasons, when Norris and Oscar Piastri regularly fought for victories and the team established itself among the championship’s strongest constructors.

Although McLaren has achieved race wins during 2026, its recent results have exposed weaknesses in consistency and development. The collision between Norris and Piastri in Singapore added further pressure, with the team continuing internal discussions about the incident.

McLaren’s position has become more vulnerable because Red Bull is improving at the same time. The seven-point difference means a single strong result from Verstappen and Isack Hadjar could reverse the order.

The team will evaluate further developments at Austin, where it needs to recover performance before the championship’s final six rounds.

Antonelli approaches F1 title opportunity as Mercedes closes on ninth crown

Kimi Antonelli could become Formula 1 world champion at the United States Grand Prix, entering Austin with 340 points and a 102-point advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell.

The Italian has been the championship’s most consistent title contender during 2026, while Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen remain mathematically capable of challenging him.

Antonelli’s potential championship victory would also establish a new record for the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s achievement in 2010.

Mercedes, however, faces a different mathematical situation in the Constructors’ Championship.

The German manufacturer leads Ferrari by 134 points, with six races remaining. Even a maximum one-two finish in Austin would not be sufficient to secure the title immediately.

As GRANDE PRÊMIO explained in its championship calculation, Mexico on November 1 is Mercedes’ earliest opportunity to clinch the Constructors’ Championship, while São Paulo could become decisive if the current advantage is maintained.

Ferrari remains the principal obstacle, having outscored Mercedes at the two most recent Grands Prix.

GPS data reveals Alonso’s hidden Aston Martin pace

Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin appears substantially faster through corners than its qualifying results suggest, according to GPS data comparing the AMR26 with Verstappen’s Red Bull.

The analysis, originally conducted by Mark Hughes for The Race, examined the full-throttle and non-full-throttle sections of qualifying laps in Malaysia and Singapore.

At Sepang, Alonso finished 2.090 seconds behind Verstappen despite losing 2.238 seconds in full-throttle sections. That means the Aston Martin gained approximately 0.148 seconds elsewhere.

Singapore produced an even more striking comparison: Alonso lost 3.220 seconds on full-throttle sections but gained approximately 0.370 seconds in the remaining portions of the lap.

The figures suggest that Adrian Newey’s chassis development has delivered significant cornering performance, although Honda’s power unit and the car’s overall aerodynamic efficiency continue to limit its competitiveness.

The comparison does not establish that Alonso would have taken pole with a different engine, because drag, energy deployment and corner-exit speed also influence the results.

GRANDE PRÊMIO’s complete GPS analysis examines the figures and what they reveal about Aston Martin’s 2027 prospects.

Bortoleto reveals Verstappen’s advice as Audi looks to the future

Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed that he regularly asks Verstappen for advice about building a championship-winning Formula 1 team, drawing on the Dutchman’s experience during Red Bull’s development before its first title.

The Brazilian explained that their conversations frequently take place during online gaming sessions, when he asks how Verstappen dealt with the challenges of competing for a team that was not yet capable of winning consistently.

Bortoleto’s situation differs from those of his former junior rivals Antonelli and Hadjar, who have already reached the podium and enjoyed more competitive machinery.

The Audi driver remains convinced that the German manufacturer can eventually fight for victories, despite its difficult first season as a full factory Formula 1 operation.

He also credited Mattia Binotto for helping him understand the organisational challenges involved in developing the team.

As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported in its interview analysis, Bortoleto insists that the early success of Antonelli and Hadjar does not increase the pressure on him, given the different competitive situations of their teams.

McLaren puts five historic F1 cars up for sale

McLaren has announced plans to sell five historic Formula 1 cars, including machinery associated with Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Lando Norris and actor Brad Pitt.

The collection includes two 1991 MP4/6A chassis tested by Senna, a 2012 MP4/27A tested by Hamilton and cars from Norris’ 2021 and 2023 campaigns.

The 2023 machine was also driven by Pitt during preparations connected to F1: The Movie, reaching approximately 317km/h during a private test at Circuit of The Americas.

The cars will be sold through specialist dealer Tom Hartley Jr., with estimated individual values between £5 million and £10 million.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explained that the team wanted the cars to remain operational rather than spend their lives in storage.

The complete story, including the five chassis and their historical connections, will be available in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s report on the McLaren collection, scheduled for Monday, October 19.

When is the next Formula 1 race?

There is no Formula 1 race on Sunday, October 18. The championship returns at Circuit of The Americas for the United States Grand Prix on October 23–25.

The event follows the traditional format of three free-practice sessions, qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix, without a sprint race.

The race will cover 56 laps of the Circuit of The Americas, with Antonelli attempting to secure the Drivers’ Championship and Verstappen seeking a third consecutive victory.

The complete United States Grand Prix schedule and viewing guide includes the practice sessions, qualifying and start times for the championship’s main international markets.