--- title: "United States GP preview: Antonelli starts on pole with F1 title in sight" canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/25/united-states-gp-preview-antonelli-f1-title-austin/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Gary Gowers" section: "United States - Austin" published: "2026-10-25T10:02:07Z" modified: "2026-10-25T10:02:07Z" --- # United States GP preview: Antonelli starts on pole with F1 title in sight **Kimi Antonelli starts the United States Grand Prix from pole position later today with his first chance to secure the 2026 [F1](https://readmotorsport.com/latest-f1-news/) world championship.** Max Verstappen lines up alongside the Mercedes driver at the Circuit of The Americas, with Isack Hadjar third in the second Red Bull. Charles Leclerc starts fourth, Lewis Hamilton fifth and Antonelli’s title rival George Russell sixth. It is a front three separated by just 0.215 seconds in qualifying. Antonelli has the advantage off the line, but both Red Bulls are close enough to make the uphill run to Turn One one of the key moments of the race. ## Antonelli has two Red Bulls to deal with The young Italian took his seventh pole of the season with a 1:34.035, beating Verstappen by 0.179sec. Hadjar was only another 0.036sec behind his team-mate after recovering from a difficult final practice. Our [United States GP qualifying report](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/25/antonelli-verstappen-united-states-gp-pole-austin/) has the full session summary, qualifying times and starting grid after penalties. Verstappen was unhappy with the balance of his Red Bull in Q3, having looked stronger earlier in qualifying. He struggled for grip as the wind increased but still held on to the front row, giving him a clear opportunity to attack Antonelli at the start. Antonelli knows the significance of the opening corner. He said after qualifying that he aimed to make a clean start and lead into Turn One before trying to control the pace from there. ## How Antonelli can win the title in Austin Antonelli goes into the race 102 points ahead of Russell and 111 clear of Hamilton. Austin is the first Grand Prix at which the championship can be decided. If Antonelli wins, Russell must finish ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower for him to become world champion. Russell starts sixth and Hamilton fifth, so both currently occupy positions that would keep the championship alive. Our [full guide to Antonelli’s title permutations](https://readmotorsport.com/2026/10/12/how-kimi-antonelli-can-win-f1-title-austin/) explains the numbers behind his first opportunity to secure the championship. Verstappen does not feature in the clinching equation if Antonelli wins and the required results fall into place behind him. His immediate concern is simpler: beat Antonelli in Austin and the title cannot be settled with a victory for the Mercedes driver. ## Ferrari start close enough to challenge Ferrari led all three practice sessions before qualifying, but Antonelli found the lap when pole was decided. Leclerc starts fourth after finishing 0.232sec off pole, with Hamilton another 0.044sec behind in fifth. Both Ferraris therefore begin within striking distance of the Red Bulls. Hamilton’s position has the added complication of the championship, because a finish of fourth or better would keep Antonelli waiting even if the Italian wins. Leclerc has recent form from this part of the grid at COTA, having won the 2024 United States Grand Prix after starting fourth. Ferrari’s race pace will now decide whether the speed shown through practice carries into Sunday. ## McLaren have ground to make up Oscar Piastri starts seventh with Lando Norris eighth after neither McLaren was able to challenge for the front rows in Q3. Norris had topped Q1, but his final qualifying lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. COTA gives them opportunities to move forward, particularly into Turn One and under braking at the end of the back straight. Their first problem is the traffic ahead, with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari filling the opening six positions. The penalties further down the field have promoted Liam Lawson to ninth and Pierre Gasly to 10th. Arvid Lindblad, who originally qualified ninth, drops to 14th. ## One stop looks quickest on paper Pirelli’s simulations point towards a one-stop strategy as the quickest route through the race, with the C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft available in Austin. A soft-medium strategy is one option, while the hard could be used for the second stint by drivers starting on either the soft or medium. An early Safety Car would make the C2 more attractive for anyone trying to reach the finish without another stop. A two-stop soft-medium-soft race remains possible if degradation is higher than expected. Pirelli says the time difference between one and two stops is relatively small, leaving track position, traffic and temperatures to influence the calls from the pit wall. ## What time does the United States GP start? The United States Grand Prix starts at 3pm in Austin, 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific and 8pm in the UK. The race is 56 laps of the 5.513km Circuit of The Americas, for a total distance of 308.405km. Sky Sports F1 and NOW have live coverage in the UK, while Apple TV carries the race in the United States. Antonelli starts at the front, but with Verstappen alongside and Hadjar directly behind, Mercedes have two Red Bulls to contend with before the title calculations further down the order even come into play. **Keep up with all the latest motorsport news** ***Follow [Read Motorsport for the latest motorsport news, results and analysis](https://readmotorsport.com/news/) from Formula 1 and across the racing world.***