Kimi Antonelli turned pole position into a commanding victory at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, October 25, winning at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin — but the 20-year-old Mercedes star will have to wait at least one more week to be crowned the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Antonelli, who started from pole, controlled the race from the front and beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen finishing third. It was Antonelli's ninth win of the season, and it sealed the Constructors' Championship for Mercedes.
One stop, one win
Antonelli opened a two-second lead on the first lap and trusted a bold one-stop strategy while Ferrari and Red Bull pitted twice. He gave up the lead briefly when he switched to hard tires on lap 25, then hunted down Leclerc and passed him on lap 32, seconds after Verstappen's slow second pit stop — and stayed in front for the rest of the 56-lap race.
"I know we're very close, but we've turned the page on a high," Antonelli said after the race, "and hopefully we can clinch it very soon."
The win moved Antonelli 123 points clear at the top of the drivers' championship, with 125 points still available in the remaining five races.
Why the title will have to wait
To clinch the championship in Austin, Antonelli needed to win while Lewis Hamilton finished fifth or lower and George Russell finished ninth or lower. Hamilton finished fourth and Russell eighth — just enough to keep the title mathematically alive.
Hamilton's late charge for a double Ferrari podium was cut short by a Virtual Safety Car in the final laps, deployed after Valtteri Bottas retired his Cadillac with an engine problem. Hamilton crossed the line 1.030 seconds behind Verstappen.
The youngest champion ever — one race away
If Antonelli seals the title later this season, he will pass Sebastian Vettel — who won his first championship in 2010 at the age of 23 — to become the youngest Formula 1 drivers' champion in history. Antonelli already holds the records as the youngest driver to lead the championship, to start a race from pole position, and to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
His next chance comes next weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City: if he finishes eighth or higher there, the title is his, whatever anyone else does.
Full top 10 in Austin
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — 5. Lando Norris (McLaren) — 6. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) — 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 8. George Russell (Mercedes) — 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) — 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
Mercedes leads the Constructors' Championship with 607 points, ahead of Ferrari with 474, while Red Bull and McLaren are tied on 355 each.
Fuentes: USA Today, Athlon Sports, Coffee Corner Motorsport, F1 Headline, Radio Univers.