Race — Report

Kimi Antonelli’s first world championship is now an absolute formality. The Italian sensation also won the United States Grand Prix, while team-mate George Russell languished in eighth place. The title celebrations therefore move on to Mexico, where Kimi will need only a token points haul to seal the championship.

Charles Leclerc took second after an excellent performance from driver, car and strategy team alike. Ferrari came close to a double podium, but a late VSC ended Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of attacking Max Verstappen, leaving the Dutchman to finish third.

Slow-starting Red Bulls shake up the order

Antonelli was the only driver in the top five starting on mediums, but there was no sign of any disadvantage when the lights went out. Instead, both Verstappen’s and Hadjar’s Red Bulls suffered another poor getaway. Leclerc moved into second in the first sector, with Hamilton also coming close to passing Max.

Verstappen reclaimed second in the final sector of lap 1, but Antonelli was already well clear. After the initial scramble, the race settled down in the opening laps with Antonelli leading Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, Hadjar, Russell, Piastri and Norris.

Lando Norris looked the most likely to make a move at this stage, clearly faster than team-mate Oscar Piastri. McLaren agreed, deploying team orders and moving Lando ahead. The stewards also intervened, handing George Russell a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on lap 1.

First pit stops break the early monotony

At the end of lap 13, Red Bull decided to break the deadlock and called Verstappen into the pits. They fitted another set of softs, meaning the four-time champion and his team had committed to two stops. Ferrari responded by bringing Hamilton in on the following lap. He, however, switched to mediums.

Leclerc and Piastri then pitted too, the former taking mediums and the latter hards. Norris stopped at the end of lap 17 and, like his team-mate, fitted hards.

The other drivers stayed out, which meant Antonelli would rejoin behind Verstappen after his stop. Hadjar and Russell also extended their opening stints. This change spiced up the race, with fans able to enjoy Verstappen and Leclerc working their way through the order.

Russell stopped at the end of lap 22, serving his five-second penalty and fitting hards. It was therefore a battle between the two-stoppers and the one-stoppers. By lap 24, it was clear which option Verstappen would have preferred, as he said sarcastically over the radio: “Thank you guys, really good strategy there, stuck in dirty air… ****!”

Antonelli also pitted at the end of lap 24 and, like Russell, switched to hards. It was therefore clear he would not be stopping again. Hadjar finally pitted at the end of lap 25, having briefly held up Leclerc beforehand. Isack fitted hards and, like his team-mate, was unhappy. “Why are we on hards?” When told it was the preferred choice, he replied in a high-pitched voice: “What?”

At half-distance, the order was Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, Hamilton, Norris, Hadjar, Piastri and Russell. Only Verstappen, Leclerc and Hamilton still needed another stop at this stage. “I must have a problem with my car, it’s undriveable!” Max reported. Tom Hart told him the team could see some issues with engine braking. As Red Bull worked on a solution, Leclerc and Antonelli were closing in.

The race comes alive in the second half

By lap 31, the top three were covered by two seconds. Leading the race, Verstappen ducked out of the battle and headed for the pits instead, where the mechanics were not at their best, servicing Max in 3.9 seconds. That left it to Antonelli, who passed Leclerc on lap 32 to retake the lead. At this point, he was the overwhelming favourite to win.

His struggling team-mate George Russell was meanwhile trying to pass Piastri for seventh. That neatly illustrated the misery he has endured this season.

Verstappen, meanwhile, had to work his way through the field again and was soon joined by Hamilton and Leclerc. Both Ferrari drivers fitted hards for the final stint.

By lap 40, every driver had completed their scheduled stops. The order was Antonelli, Norris, Verstappen, Leclerc, Hadjar, Hamilton, Piastri and Russell. On lap 42, Hamilton comfortably passed Hadjar to move into fifth. Ferrari now faced a sprint to the finish. Charles and Lewis were the fastest men on track.

Verstappen remained stuck behind Norris and, with 11 laps remaining, Leclerc joined their battle for second. Max was the first to attack, effectively forced into action by the immense pressure from Charles. Verstappen swept into second with a superb move at the first corner.

Verstappen overtakes Norris while defending against Leclerc from behind
byu/50lipaa informula1

Then it was Leclerc’s turn, his much fresher tyres allowing him to power past Norris on the exit of Turn 12. Next came the Verstappen–Leclerc fight for second. In the end, that battle was settled quickly and cleanly. Charles swept past the Red Bull on the approach to Turn 12 to move into second.

Antonelli, however, was simply too far ahead for Leclerc to catch. Ferrari nevertheless deserved plenty of credit for an excellent strategy. A good start and strategy had taken Charles from fourth on the grid to second.

The biggest question over the remainder of the race was how far Lewis Hamilton could climb. He attacked Norris on lap 52 and passed him comfortably. He had six laps ahead of him and a five-second deficit to Max. However, a mechanical failure for Valtteri Bottas, which triggered a virtual safety car, threw a spanner in the works for Hamilton.

Heavy recovery equipment was needed to clear the stranded Cadillac, and the race continued at reduced speed for several laps. Racing finally resumed on lap 53 of 56, too late for Hamilton.

None of that changed anything for Kimi Antonelli. The dominant Italian once again outclassed the entire field and once again utterly humbled his team-mate, who finished only eighth. The title is therefore not yet mathematically settled, but Kimi needs just two points over the rest of the season. If Antonelli finishes ninth or better in Mexico, he will celebrate his first title even if Russell wins the race. If George does not win in Mexico, the title celebrations will begin regardless of Kimi’s result.

Thanks to excellent pace and a superb Ferrari strategy, Charles Leclerc crossed the line second, ahead of Max Verstappen in third. The Dutchman’s podium was most likely saved by the VSC, as fourth-placed Hamilton finished just one second behind. Behind them came a disappointed Norris, Hadjar, Piastri and Russell. Lawson in ninth and Gasly in tenth were certainly happier.

The Mexican Grand Prix follows next weekend.