Kimi Antonelli arrives in Mexico City next weekend one result away from the Formula 1 world title, after a dominant win at the United States Grand Prix in Austin left him 123 points clear of his Mercedes team mate George Russell.
The 20-year-old started from pole, held the lead off the line and made a one-stop strategy work while Red Bull split their cars across two plans. He finished 13.078 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Max Verstappen third. It was his ninth Grand Prix win of 2026 and takes him to 365 points.
Austin was his first chance to settle it. He needed to win with Russell ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower; Russell was eighth after a five-second penalty and Hamilton fourth. In Mexico City he becomes the youngest champion in F1 history as long as he does not lose more than 23 points to Russell, or 24 to Hamilton, who is now a single point behind Russell in the race for second.
"I would love to clinch the title in style with a great result," Antonelli said.
The Mexico City Grand Prix runs 30 October to 1 November at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which now looks likely to host a title decider.
Source
Original summary by Proventier.