Kimi Antonelli on verge of smashing F1 record book after sublime US GP victory

Kimi Antonelli breezed to a comfortable victory in the United States Grand Prix but missed out on clinching the F1 drivers' title at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Italian aced the start and made a one-stop strategy work with ease, winning by a sizeable margin over Charles Leclerc in second and Max Verstappen in third.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, keeping the Briton mathematically in title contention. McLaren's Lando Norris finished fifth. 

As George Russell finished eighth he also remains in contention, meaning Antonelli's wait to become world champion will continue until Mexico City, where wrapping up the title is all but guaranteed.

Kimi Antonelli masters United States GP start

Starting from pole position, Kimi Antonelli knew he had his first chance to seal a maiden world title, but to do so, he had to win, with George Russell finishing ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower by the chequered flag.

Interestingly, Antonelli and Russell, who started sixth on the grid, opted to start on medium tyres, while Max Verstappen in second, Isack Hadjar in third, Charles Leclerc in fourth and Lewis Hamilton in fifth went for the softs. In theory, this gave Verstappen an advantage on the run to the first corner.

As the lights went out, that did not happen. Antonelli made an excellent start to keep the lead, while a stunning move by Leclerc moved him past Verstappen at Turn 3.

Leclerc's spell in second was short-lived, as he dropped back to third by the end of the first lap. Hamilton was fourth. The leading drivers quickly settled into a rhythm, with Antonelli's advantage over Verstappen standing at just 2.5s after five laps.

Crucially, Russell was in sixth; however, he was given a five-second time penalty on lap nine for gaining an advantage by leaving the circuit on the opening lap. Nevertheless, it did not put him at risk of falling outside the top eight.

The field was clearly focused on tyre preservation in the first half of the race, as sizeable gaps appeared between the leading drivers, making for an uneventful start to the Grand Prix.

To much surprise, Red Bull and Verstappen blinked first and committed to a two-stop strategy, pitting the Dutchman at the start of lap 14. This left Mercedes with a big decision to make. Antonelli, on the medium tyres, did not pit the following lap, but Hamilton did, switching to a new set of mediums.

A lap later, Leclerc followed suit, also switching to medium tyres, as did Oscar Piastri. Verstappen cycled back ahead of Leclerc, while the Monegasque remained ahead of Hamilton. Lando Norris joined the pit-stop fun on lap 17, with both McLarens switching to hard tyres.

Mercedes continued to hold its nerve, with Verstappen and Leclerc getting back ahead of Russell on fresh tyres. It became clear that the Silver Arrows and Hadjar were sticking to a one-stop strategy. On lap 22, Russell finally pitted and also served his penalty.

Kimi Antonelli one-stop proves decisive

Two laps later, Antonelli was finally brought in for hard tyres, like his team-mate, to see him through to the end of the race. The following lap, Hadjar became the final driver from the top four teams to stop.

This meant that, on lap 26, Verstappen led from Leclerc, Antonelli, Hamilton, Norris, Hadjar, Piastri and Russell. However, Verstappen was certain to stop again, while both Ferraris potentially had another stop to make.

On lap 30, Verstappen complained over the radio that his car was "undriveable", with Red Bull informing him of an engine-mapping problem. Hadjar reported a similar issue. The four-time world champion pitted for a second time a lap later, switching to medium tyres.

Verstappen's pit stop unleashed Leclerc and Antonelli, while his second stop dropped him to fifth, behind Norris in fourth. Hamilton was third. Leclerc's spell in the lead did not last long, as Antonelli breezed past at Turn 12 on lap 32 to retake the lead.

On laps 39 and 40, Ferrari joined the two-stop party. Hamilton boxed first, followed by Leclerc, with both switching to hard tyres. Leclerc and Hamilton rejoined in fourth and sixth, leaving Hadjar sandwiched between the two Ferraris. That lasted until lap 42, when the Frenchman was easily passed by Hamilton.

With 13 laps remaining, Antonelli comfortably led from Norris, who had Verstappen just one second behind in third. Leclerc and Hamilton sat fourth and fifth, both showing strong pace. With 10 laps remaining, Norris had Verstappen and Leclerc both within one second.

Norris' defence ended on lap 47, as Verstappen and Leclerc moved past before the Ferrari driver set his sights on the Red Bull. On lap 49, at Turn 12, Leclerc swooped into second, dropping Verstappen to third.

Things quickly worsened for Norris, as Hamilton made his way past. There was a brief moment of drama on lap 52, as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Valtteri Bottas came to a halt, but a full Safety Car was not required.

For Mercedes, it was a moment of relief, as the VSC did not prevent Antonelli from securing another easy victory and taking a big step towards becoming world champion. Leclerc and Verstappen completed the podium, with Hamilton fourth, Norris fifth and Russell eighth. Hadjar was sixth, Piastri seventh, Liam Lawson ninth and Pierre Gasly 10th. As a result, the title will likely be sealed in Mexico City.