Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli earned pole position Saturday at the Formula One United States Grand Prix in Austin. He is the championship leader and could win the season title with a victory on Sunday if his closest rivals finish outside scoring positions.
Sunday, October 25, 2026. Formula One United States Grand Prix race with Antonelli starting from pole position (Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas)2
Who's involved
Kimi AntonelliMercedes driver, Formula One championship leader
Max VerstappenRed Bull driver, finished second in qualifying
George RussellMercedes driver
Lewis HamiltonFerrari driver
Charles LeclercFerrari driver
Carlos Sainz Jr.Williams driver, Grand Prix Drivers Association director
Oscar PiastriMcLaren driver
The facts
Kimi Antonelli earned pole position for the United States Grand Prix Saturday at Circuit of the Americas in Austin.2
Antonelli is the 20-year-old Mercedes championship leader and Italian national.2
If Antonelli wins Sunday and George Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton finishes outside the top four, Antonelli will be champion.2
Hamilton will start fourth on Sunday; Russell will start sixth.2
Max Verstappen finished second in qualifying, four-time champion who has won four times at COTA.2
The race on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas could determine if Antonelli becomes Formula One's youngest champion ever.2
Formula One and the FIA still plan to finish the season with scheduled races in Qatar on Nov. 29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Carlos Sainz Jr., Williams driver and Grand Prix Drivers Association director The decision to race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi is relatively premature; too many variables including the Nov. 3 U.S. election could impact Middle East tension and safety.1
Kimi Antonelli His pole position was surprising and he will try to do his best race and see what happens.2
Max Verstappen Antonelli does not need advice and his championship appears inevitable as the season heads into the final races.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Kimi Antonelli’s Formula One title chase resumes in Texas
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
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