United States GP 2026: Antonelli wins, Russell P8

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 United States Grand Prix from pole, while George Russell dropped to eighth after a five-second penalty.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 United States Grand Prix from pole at the Circuit of the Americas, with Charles Leclerc second and Max Verstappen third, as reported by BBC Sport, Autosport and Motorsport.com. Those outlets also reported it was the Mercedes driver’s ninth win of the season. Antonelli leads the drivers' championship on 365 points, with George Russell second on 242.

Russell finished eighth after a five-second penalty, according to Autosport and Motorsport.com, while RaceFans reported the stewards reduced the sanction from a possible 10 seconds to five. BBC Sport reported the result left Antonelli needing two more points to seal his first Formula 1 world title.

Formula1.com reported Toto Wolff described Austin as Antonelli’s best race so far, while Laurent Mekies said Mercedes and Antonelli were quicker than Red Bull over the weekend. Antonelli races for Mercedes and came into this event with five career wins, five poles and 10 podiums across 33 starts in 2025 and 2026.