Antonelli Closes In on the Top in Austin as Piastri and Russell Struggle

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli made a major step in the championship fight with an impressive performance in Austin. With Red Bull and Ferrari recently closing the gap to Mercedes' straight-line speed, there were concerns that Antonelli could win the title in a contested manner. However, the young driver fully dispelled those doubts in both qualifying and the race.

Antonelli took pole position with a strong first lap in the third and final qualifying session. It was the seventh pole of the season and his first since Spa in the summer, which carried significant value. In the race, he also took a commanding lead with a flawless start and opening lap. Brundle described the driver's speed, consistency and tyre management as 'outstanding'.

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar reached Q3 by running a single set of soft tyres in qualifying. However, this advantage did not deliver the expected superiority in the race. Verstappen pitted as early as lap 13 because his tyres wore out quickly, and he was forced to switch to a two-stop strategy.

After his final stop, Verstappen set a quick pace but got stuck in traffic and suffered a radio failure. He ultimately finished third. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished second. Lewis Hamilton came fourth, while McLaren's Lando Norris finished fifth.