How Kimi Antonelli could clinch the F1 title at the United States Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to win the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship at the United States Grand Prix in Texas on October 25. The 20-year-old can clinch the title if he wins and his closest rivals finish far enough behind, ABC News reported. He would become the youngest F1 champion.

Antonelli enters the race with 340 points, 102 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell and 111 ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, according to ABC. He needs to leave the United States Grand Prix with a lead of at least 125 points to settle the championship there.

The results Antonelli needs in Texas

Five Grands Prix are scheduled after the United States race — in Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi — with a maximum of 125 points still available, ABC reported. That remaining total sets the lead Antonelli needs to make the championship unreachable.

A lead of exactly 125 points could still allow Russell or Hamilton to finish level with Antonelli if that rival won every remaining race and Antonelli scored nothing more. ABC said Antonelli would take the title on the tie-break because he has won more Grands Prix than either rival.

Antonelli’s first chance at the championship

ESPN also identified the United States Grand Prix as Antonelli’s first opportunity to win the drivers’ title, though it described the chance of settling it there as slim. If the required results do not come in Texas, the title fight will continue into the remaining races.

In a small-group interview that included ESPN, Antonelli spoke about trying to keep ordinary routines while his profile rises. ‘Whenever I go back home, I want to feel as normal as possible,’ he said. He described continuing to go to places such as the supermarket and cinema, although doing so has become harder. Friends from school have also helped him retain a sense of normality, ESPN reported.