Antonelli wins in Austin as the title decision moves to Mexico

Marco Rossi · F1 Correspondent

A weekend that ran from Ferrari's practice form through Mercedes' pole to a lonely victory stretched Andrea Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 123 points, without settling the title just yet.

Ferrari set the pace in all three practice sessions, but pole position and the win went to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian shaped much of the weekend at the United States Grand Prix in Austin and extended his lead in the drivers' standings to 123 points over George Russell. Mathematically, though, the decision on his first world title has been pushed to the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix. In between came a weekend in which Red Bull tied itself in knots in the race and the order shifted noticeably compared with qualifying right through the field, from the front-runners to the back.

Ferrari rules Friday, Mercedes strikes back on Saturday

Three practice sessions, three Ferrari fastest times: Charles Leclerc opened Friday by topping both sessions, and on Saturday Lewis Hamilton took over that role in third practice. With its new aero package, the Scuderia initially looked like the benchmark in Austin over a single flying lap, but Leclerc himself warned that the advantage was unlikely to survive qualifying.

That is exactly what happened in qualifying. Antonelli was unfazed by the expectations that come with leading the championship and set the fastest time of the entire weekend with a 1:34.035, 0.179 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen and 0.215 seconds clear of a surprisingly strong Isack Hadjar. Both Ferraris fell short of their practice form in fourth and fifth on the grid, while McLaren slipped into a difficult starting position for Sunday with Oscar Piastri seventh and Lando Norris only eighth.

Front-runners: Leclerc and Norris gain, Hadjar and Russell slip back

At the front, the picture changed several times during the race. Leclerc climbed from fourth on the grid to second, getting past Verstappen with a move into Turn 12 nine laps from the end, while the Dutchman dropped from second on the grid to third. After the race, Verstappen vented his frustration over team radio: "Terrible: the pace, the wrong tire, sh** pit stop, sh** engine braking. Nothing worked," he said, and sarcastically added to the media that the team might as well communicate in sign language, which would probably even be cheaper. On top of a poor start and radio failures to the pit wall, he was unhappy with the tire strategy and the engine braking.

It was even worse for Hadjar, who fell from third on the grid to sixth, the biggest drop among the front-runners. He too demanded consequences after the race, calling on Red Bull for a more robust clutch system that can withstand the thermal load at the start. Hamilton, by contrast, moved up from fifth to fourth and put Verstappen under pressure in the closing stages, finishing just over a second behind. According to Hamilton, heavy understeer in the first two stints was what held him back most, a problem he attributed more to the car's balance than to the timing of the Virtual Safety Car periods.

Sunday was a split picture at Mercedes. While Antonelli controlled the race from pole, Russell slipped from sixth on the grid to eighth after a five-second penalty for leaving the track in his first-lap battle with Piastri set him back. His own assessment was correspondingly sober: the pace had only been okay in six of 50 laps, Russell said, describing it as "rubbish." Norris, on the other hand, made the biggest gain among the front-runners, from eighth on the grid to fifth, after stretching his hard tires over a 40-lap final stint and even running second for a while before Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton passed him on fresher rubber. His teammate Piastri, who had let him through on team orders on lap eight, finished seventh, just as he had qualified, but kept Russell behind him for around 30 laps.

Midfield fights for points, retirements shape the back of the field

In the midfield, Liam Lawson held on to ninth place from the grid with a one-stop strategy, while Pierre Gasly salvaged a point from tenth on the grid despite an early collision with Oliver Bearman and significant floor damage. Nico Hülkenberg dropped to 15th after the start when his car went into anti-stall, fought his way back to 11th and finished just outside the points. Gabriel Bortoleto's drive was particularly remarkable: after a power unit change, the Audi driver had to start from the back of the field and still made it up to 13th. Arvid Lindblad, who had qualified ninth but had to start further back because of a grid penalty, could not get beyond 12th.

The back of the field saw three retirements. Oliver Bearman had to park his Haas on lap 24 after the early collision with Gasly, for which he received a ten-second penalty, once the damage to the floor and aerodynamics became too much to overcome. Franco Colapinto, who started from far back after a ten-place grid penalty for a control electronics change, retired later in the race after contact with Lindblad at Turn 1 cost him his sidepod and floor. Valtteri Bottas completed the list of retirements when his Cadillac stopped at an escape road with a power unit problem a few laps from the end, triggering another Virtual Safety Car. Further back, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon each gained three places compared with qualifying, the biggest improvements at the back, while Fernando Alonso finished only 16th after first-lap contact with Albon and a later front wing change.

In the championship, the situation after Austin is clear, but not yet decided. Antonelli leads Russell comfortably by 365 points to 242, while Ferrari narrowly won the day's team battle against Mercedes by 30 points to 29, without changing anything fundamental about the 607 to 474 gap in the constructors' standings. McLaren and Red Bull are level on 355 points in the fight for third, with Red Bull having plenty to work through after the start problems and the internal criticism from Verstappen and Hadjar in Austin. According to a calculation by formula1.com, ninth place in Mexico would already be enough for Antonelli to clinch his first drivers' title early, regardless of how his pursuers finish there. After narrowly missing his match point in Austin, the young Italian is unlikely to want to let a second chance slip.