Antonelli wins Austin, leads Russell by 123 points
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver secured his ninth win of the season in Texas, leaving five races remaining in the championship.
By Yuna Fletcher ·
Kimi Antonelli defeated the field at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday to claim his ninth Formula One victory of the year. The 20-year-old Italian started from pole position and crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 35 minutes, and 16.650 seconds.
Charles Leclerc of Monaco finished second, trailing the winner by 13.078 seconds. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing took third place, arriving 17.485 seconds behind Antonelli. The result extends Antonelli’s lead over his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, to 123 points with five races left on the schedule.
Russell must win the next race in Mexico City to remain in contention for the title. If he fails to take the win, Antonelli will be crowned champion. Antonelli has dominated the season, securing five consecutive victories earlier in the year, including wins in Miami and Las Vegas, which is still on the calendar for November.
Tire strategy determined the outcome of the 56-lap race. While most competitors executed two pit stops, Antonelli stayed on track until Lap 25. He made a single stop and did not return to the pit lane for the remainder of the race. Antonelli credited the team’s decision to trust him with a one-stop strategy for the clean sweep.
The race concluded under a Virtual Safety Car triggered on Lap 52 when Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac stopped on the track. The procedure remained active until the penultimate lap, preventing any late-charging rivals from closing the gap to Antonelli.
Verstappen, who has won the title every year from 2021 to 2024, is now mathematically eliminated from the championship fight. He will go two seasons without a world championship. Verstappen noted that the car’s pace was insufficient and that the available tires were not the correct choice for the conditions.
Mercedes widened its advantage in the constructors’ standings to 133 points over Ferrari. Mercedes holds 607 points compared to Ferrari’s 474. Team boss Toto Wolff described the performance as the best race Antonelli has produced this season, noting that the driver controlled the car despite starting with an inferior tire compound.
Source: Al Jazeera
