F1 heads to Texas this weekend for the United States Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli getting his first chance to secure the world championship.
Austin begins a triple-header which continues in Mexico City and São Paulo, with six Grands Prix remaining in the 2026 season. Max Verstappen arrives having won the past two races, while Ferrari are bringing another substantial update for the SF-26.
The weekend also returns to a conventional format after three years of Sprints at the Circuit of The Americas. Drivers will have three practice sessions before qualifying on Saturday and the 56-lap Grand Prix on Sunday.
Antonelli gets first chance to win F1 title
Antonelli leads Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 102 points after finishing third in Singapore, with Lewis Hamilton 111 points behind in third. His first opportunity to settle the championship comes this weekend, although he needs a specific set of results. Antonelli must win, with Russell finishing ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower.
A victory would also eliminate Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris from mathematical contention regardless of their results. The complete numbers are in our guide to how Kimi Antonelli can win the F1 world title in Austin.
Verstappen has at least delayed Antonelli’s progress with victories in Malaysia and Singapore. Red Bull had gone without a Grand Prix win through the opening 15 rounds before the Dutchman won both of the past two.
What makes COTA different?
The Circuit of The Americas has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012, and its 5.513km layout packs several different challenges into 20 corners. Turn 1 is its signature feature. Drivers climb steeply from the start-finish straight before braking into a wide left-hander, creating several possible lines and plenty of first-lap traffic.
The opening sector then changes character completely, with the rapid Turns 3-6 demanding stability through a sequence reminiscent of Silverstone’s Maggotts and Becketts. A long back straight follows later in the lap before the slower final sector. Cars therefore need to work through fast changes of direction, heavy braking and lower-speed corners rather than being designed around one particular type of turn.
Ferrari will have new parts to assess across those different sections, with a new floor and revised sidepods being prepared for Austin. The team is looking for more downforce while making the SF-26 less sensitive to changes in its operating conditions.
Verstappen has dominated recent Austin races
Verstappen has won four of the past five United States Grands Prix, beginning with three consecutive victories from 2021 to 2023. His 2023 success was the 50th Grand Prix victory of his career, although much of the attention afterwards shifted to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton had finished second and Leclerc sixth before both were disqualified when post-race checks found excessive plank wear.
Ferrari ended Verstappen’s run in 2024. Leclerc swept into the lead at Turn 1 and headed a one-two ahead of Carlos Sainz, while Lando Norris lost third to Verstappen after receiving a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during their late fight. Verstappen was back in front last year. He won the Sprint and then converted pole into Grand Prix victory, finishing 7.959 seconds ahead of Norris.
Austin’s first F1 race in 2012 also produced a notable result. Lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel for what proved to be his final victory as a McLaren driver before moving to Mercedes. The circuit has become a fixture on the calendar since that first race, with its current agreement keeping the United States Grand Prix at COTA until 2034.
United States GP UK start times
Austin returns to the traditional three-practice format this year, giving teams more track time than they had during the Sprint weekends of the previous three seasons.
| Session | Date | UK time |
|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Friday, 23 October | 6.30pm BST |
| Practice 2 | Friday, 23 October | 10pm BST |
| Practice 3 | Saturday, 24 October | 6.30pm BST |
| Qualifying | Saturday, 24 October | 10pm BST |
| United States GP | Sunday, 25 October | 8pm GMT |
There is a slight wrinkle for UK viewers because the clocks go back overnight before the race. Sunday’s Grand Prix starts at 3pm local time in Austin, which becomes 8pm GMT in the UK. The race runs for 56 laps and 308.405km, with Charles Leclerc’s 1:36.169 from 2019 remaining the official race lap record.
Austin is the first leg of three consecutive race weekends before Mexico City and São Paulo. The dates and UK start times for all six remaining rounds are in our 2026 F1 schedule.
Follow United States Grand Prix race week and the latest Formula 1 news on Read Motorsport.
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