20:35
Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar, who are in first and second, are yet to pit
Kimi Antonelli
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F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates from COTA as Kimi Antonelli looks to seal title
Live updates from the 2026 F1 United States Grand Prix at COTA
KEY MOMENTS
- US GP begins at 8pm GMT
- Kimi Antonelli starts on pole
- Kimi Antonelli can win the championship today
The 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix takes place today (Sunday, 25 October) at the Circuit of the Americas, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to win the title.
The Mercedes driver, in just his second year in F1, has a chance to make history today at the US Grand Prix as he faces his first match point in the championship battle.
Starting from pole position, Kimi Antonelli can win the world championship today if he wins the race, team-mate George Russell is ninth and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is fifth.
If Antonelli doesn't win the race, the title will roll on to the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Italian will face stiff opposition from the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who qualified second and third.
Red Bull has won the last two grands prix with Verstappen.
Ferrari looked like being a big victory threat in its upgraded car, but struggled to fourth and fifth in qualifying with Leclerc and Hamilton.
2026 US GP schedule
Race - 8pm GMT
20:36
Penalty for Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman has been given a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision earlier in the race
20:34
Max Verstappen is now into third place after he passed George Russell on track
20:32
The McLaren drivers have both pitted and are back out on Hard tyres, with Lando Norris in ninth and Oscar Piastri in 11th
20:32
A Turn 13 incident between Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly is under investigation...
20:30
Charles Leclerc has pitted from second place and is back on track in sixth place, as well as Oscar Piastri, who pitted and is now in 12th
20:29
Max Verstappen on his new softs is up into sixth after passing Oscar Piastri, and Lewis Hamilton has passed Liam Lawson for eighth
20:28
Lewis Hamilton has now pitted from third place and is back on track in ninth, behind Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
20:27
Max Verstappen is in the pits, and he has dropped back to eighth place when he rejoined the race
20:26
No Further Action for Bortoleto
No further action was taken after the stewards investigated Gabriel Bortoleto for leaving the track and potentially gaining an advantage
20:24
Lewis Hamilton is now 3.5 seconds behind his teammate, and has just been on the radio complaining that he is struggling to turn his Ferrari in the slow speed corners
20:22
Gabriel Bortoleto is now under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage...
20:21
Kimi Antonelli has now extended his lead to 2.9 seconds
20:18
George Russell penalty
George Russell has been given a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage after leaving the track
20:16
Lando Norris has passed Oscar Piastri for seventh place
20:15
After six laps, Kimi Antonelli still holds over a 2-second lead, but due to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell's positions, he would not be crowned champion
20:12
George Russell is under investigation after leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 13...
20:09
Now the early fighting has ended, Kimi Antonelli leads the way from Max Verstappen, with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in third and fourth, and Isack Hadjar rounds out the top five
20:07
VSC
The Virtual Safety Car was very briefly deployed, but we are back under racing conditions
20:06
Max Verstappen is back in second place, but will have a lot of work to do to catch up to Antonelli
20:05
There was contact on the opening lap between the Ferraris, and Antonelli is now over 2 seconds ahead of the pack
20:04
Kimi Antonelli leads in the early stages of the Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has moved into second place, with Max Verstappen back in third
20:04
Lights out!
The 2026 US Grand Prix is underway!
20:02
Tyre Choices
Here are the tyre choices:
Kimi Antonelli - Medium
Max Verstappen - Soft
Isack Hadjar - Soft
Charles Leclerc - Soft
Lewis Hamilton - Soft
George Russell - Medium
Oscar Piastri - Medium
Lando Norris - Medium
Liam Lawson - Soft
Pierre Gasly - Soft
Nico Hulkenberg - Soft
Fernando Alonso - Soft
Ollie Bearman - Soft
Arvid Lindblad - Soft
Esteban Ocon - Soft
Carlos Sainz - Soft
Alex Albon - Soft
Sergio Perez - Soft
Valtteri Bottas - Hard
Franco Colapinto - Hard
Gabriel Bortoleto - Soft
Lance Stroll - Medium [Pit Lane Start]
20:01
Formation Lap Underway
The drivers are off on their formation lap ahead of the start of the Grand Prix