Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, claiming pole position and a commanding victory for constructor, Mercedes.
The 20-year-old Italian attained his ninth win of the campaign, finishing 13 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Austin.
Antonelli started on Medium tyres and kept the lead off the line, while Max Verstappen , who started alongside him on softs, suffered a nightmare start with no energy deployment.
Mercedes nailed the strategy while Red Bull pitted Verstappen early on Lap 14 for a two-stop strategy leading Antonelli to go long and switch to Hards on Lap 25. Eventually, that one-stop proved to be the winning move.
Behind him, Leclerc hunted down Verstappen in the closing stages to take second place, with the Dutchman rounding out the podium with a third place finish.
It was almost a championship-clinching afternoon for Antonelli who needed to win while Lewis Hamilton finished P5 or lower and George Russell P9 or lower in Austin meaning his coronation will have to wait until Mexico.
Even so, it has been a remarkable season for Antonelli with him acquiring nine Grand Prix titles in 2026, amassing a 123-point lead at the top of the championship, and is now officially the youngest superstar in Formula.
From Bologna to Texas — Forza Kimi. Today he sleeps with the win but wakes up dreaming of the next task ahead.
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Story by Xavier Mensah |univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by John Foh
