Formula 1 leaves the Circuit of the Americas with the championship all but settled and a five-way fight for second place now in full effect. Here are Living Sports’ winners and losers from the United States Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli was back to his dominant best in Austin. After seizing pole with his first lap in Q3, Antonelli was peerless on race day. The Mercedes driver had no trouble building a lead on his first set of medium tyres, and after opting for a one-stop and retaining track position, was more than capable of extending his advantage over the chasing pack. Antonelli was firmly in command throughout and, with this win (his ninth of the season), is now within two points of the world title. A ninth-place finish at the next race in Mexico is all it will take for Antonelli to become the youngest ever world champion, and if this performance this weekend is anything to go by, it's virtually guaranteed.
After dominating the last two races, Red Bull trailed both Mercedes and Ferrari in Austin. Both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar struggled with a lack of straight-line speed. Verstappen managed to hang on for his tenth podium of the season, but Hadjar was left fuming over battery issues and what he considered a fragile clutch. After serving as a roadblock for the Ferraris and ultimately losing out, Hadjar salvaged sixth and did little to hide his frustration post-race. The altitude of Mexico will present a unique challenge and offer yet more insight as to Red Bull’s true place in the late-season pecking order.
Downbeat after Ferrari’s free practice pace didn't carry over into qualifying, Charles Leclerc made a solid recovery in the race. After pulling off a brilliant move on Max Verstappen on the opening lap (only to lose out at turn 16) Leclerc was put on an aggressive two-stop strategy. This, along with some good pace, allowed him to come back at Verstappen in the dying laps. Leclerc seized second on lap 49 before streaking away and finishing over four seconds clear of his rival. According to the Mercedes pitwall, Leclerc was considered a bigger threat to Antonelli than Verstappen, given his and the SF-26’s race pace. With this result, Leclerc is now just nine points behind George Russell in second and a major contender for the runner-up spot.
Even without acknowledging his now virtually non-existent title hopes, George Russell had a weekend to forget. After failing to match his teammate in qualifying and starting only eighth, Russell’s race was permanently compromised by a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on lap one. Unhappy with his tyres and unable to make any meaningful progress on pure pace, Russell did just enough to keep his teammate from sealing the title by taking eighth. The deed will almost certainly be done at the next race in Mexico, and Russell’s priority will have to be finding a way to salvage some pride from an increasingly underwhelming season.
Another day, another quiet, commendable performance by Lawson. After narrowly escaping elimination in Q2 by just two hundredths of a second, Lawson secured ninth at the end of Q3. Unbothered by those ahead and more than capable of escaping the skirmishes behind, Lawson ran a clean, trouble-free race and was rewarded with two valuable points—another instalment in what has been an outstanding season for the RB driver.
Much like Russell, Bearman’s race was compromised early on. A second-lap collision with Pierre Gasly resulted in a ten-second time penalty, from which there was no recovery. The damage cost Bearman up to a second per lap, ending any hopes of a points finish. The Haas driver soldiered on until retiring from the race on lap 24.
