Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix from pole on Sunday, finishing 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull. It was a big day for the championship leader at the Circuit of the Americas. It was a long one for the two American teams: Haas and Cadillac both left their home race without a point.
THE RESULT
Antonelli converted pole into his ninth win of the season, covering the 56 laps in 1:35:16.650. Leclerc climbed from fourth on the grid to second, and Verstappen held third, 17.485 seconds behind the winner. Lewis Hamilton was fourth, just over a second behind Verstappen, and Lando Norris fifth. Leclerc also set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:37.976 on lap 42.
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) took sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and George Russell (Mercedes). Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) took the last two points-paying positions.
HAAS: NOTHING TO SHOW FROM AUSTIN
Haas started 13th (Oliver Bearman) and 15th (Esteban Ocon) on the official grid, a few places higher than they qualified, and the weekend unravelled on the opening lap. Bearman made contact with Gasly on lap 1, according to Autosport, and picked up a 10-second penalty for it. Formula1.com reports that Haas swapped its drivers' positions so Ocon, whose car was undamaged, could chase points, and that Bearman later retired with damage. The official classification shows him out after 24 laps.
Ocon finished 14th, one lap down, ahead of both Aston Martins but well out of the points. Formula1.com summed up the day in one line: "Haas failed to score in their home race."
The standings damage is limited. Haas stays seventh in the constructors' championship on 30 points. Audi also failed to score, with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto 13th, so Haas still has a seven-point cushion over Audi in eighth with five rounds left.
CADILLAC: A TOUGH FIRST HOME RACE
Austin was Cadillac's first United States Grand Prix as a Formula 1 team, and the results were hard going. Sergio Perez started 18th and finished 19th, one lap down, the last car running at the finish. Valtteri Bottas started 19th and retired after 48 laps. Formula1.com reports that he slowed and pulled off the track, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car, and Autosport said the cause was engine trouble.
The American team is still looking for its first championship point. After 18 rounds Cadillac sits 11th of 11 in the constructors' standings, on zero points.
THE ONE AMERICAN IN THE CAR
There was no American driver on Sunday's grid, but one did turn laps at COTA. Colton Herta took over Perez's car for Friday's first practice session and finished 21st, completing 20 laps with a best of 1:39.979, according to the team. Herta, in Cadillac's practice report: "My first Formula 1 outing in my home country in front of all the American fans was a very special moment."
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Antonelli arrived in Austin 102 points clear of Russell and leaves 123 points ahead. He now has 365 points, to Russell's 242, Hamilton's 241, Verstappen's 236 and Leclerc's 233.
He couldn't clinch the title on Sunday. Formula1.com notes that he needed to win with Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton outside the top four. Russell's eighth place and Hamilton's fourth kept the fight going. But with five grands prix left and 125 points still up for grabs, Antonelli is right on the edge of his first world championship, and Mexico City is his next chance to settle it.
In the constructors' championship, Mercedes leads on 607 points, ahead of Ferrari (474), with Red Bull and McLaren tied on 355.
WHAT'S NEXT: MEXICO CITY, NOV. 1
Round 19 is the Mexico City Grand Prix next Sunday, November 1. The championship may be decided there. It's also Perez's home race, so Cadillac will be under a spotlight again just a week after Austin. Haas heads south looking to get back into the points and stay clear of Audi.
How to watch: in the US, Formula 1 streams on Apple TV, which this season became what Apple calls the "exclusive U.S. home of Formula 1." Per Apple, F1 TV Premium is included at no extra cost for Apple TV subscribers.
MORE ON YANKEEF1
Austin race hub and full results: yankeef1.com/race/austin-2026. Mexico City preview and schedule: yankeef1.com/race/mexico-2026. Driver pages: yankeef1.com/drivers/ant, yankeef1.com/drivers/bea, yankeef1.com/drivers/oco, yankeef1.com/drivers/per and yankeef1.com/drivers/bot. Teams and standings: yankeef1.com/teams and yankeef1.com/standings. Viewing guide: yankeef1.com/watch.
Sources: official race and qualifying classifications and championship standings after round 18 (Jolpica F1 / Formula1.com); Formula1.com race report (Haas strategy, Bearman retirement, Virtual Safety Car, title scenario); Autosport race report (Bearman–Gasly contact and penalty, Bottas engine trouble); Cadillac F1 Team free practice report (Herta FP1 lap and quote); Apple Newsroom (US broadcast).
