2026 US GP Data Recap: COTA Telemetry and Setup Analysis
Kimi Antonelli took his ninth win of 2026 at the Circuit of The Americas. He started from pole and beat Charles Leclerc by 13.078 seconds, with Max Verstappen third. Toto Wolff called his pole lap “a miracle lap”, and the race was just as controlled.
The win wasn’t quite enough to make him champion. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and George Russell eighth, so the title fight continues to Mexico.
US GP 2026 Results: Top 10
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +13.078s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), +17.485s
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +18.515s
- Lando Norris (McLaren), +30.521s
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), +34.373s
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren), +52.674s
- George Russell (Mercedes), +54.303s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), +1m19.183s
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine), +1m27.516s
Fastest lap: Leclerc, 1:37.976 on lap 42. Retirements: Valtteri Bottas (suspected power unit problem), Franco Colapinto (damage from contact with Lindblad), Oliver Bearman (damage from contact with Gasly).
Strategy: One Stop Beats Two
In our COTA track guide, we flagged the new C2 Hard as the compound to watch. It turned out to decide the race.
The front-runners split into two strategies. Full stop data:
One stop (Medium → Hard)
- Antonelli: pitted at the end of lap 24
- Russell: pitted at the end of lap 22, serving a 5-second penalty
- Norris: pitted at the end of lap 16
- Piastri: pitted at the end of lap 15
Two stops (starting on Softs)
- Leclerc: Soft → Medium (lap 15) → Hard (lap 39)
- Hamilton: Soft → Medium (lap 14) → Hard (lap 38)
- Verstappen: Soft → Soft (lap 13) → Medium (lap 31)
One stop (Soft → Hard)
- Hadjar: pitted at the end of lap 25
Ferrari and Red Bull started on Softs and needed two stops. Antonelli started on Mediums, ran a long first stint, and then made the C2 Hard last 32 laps to the finish. Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin said the team “held our nerve”. Tyre wear and lap times showed there was no need to react to the two-stoppers. Antonelli called it “perfect execution from strategy to call the one-stop.”
Piastri also said the Hard “performed well”, which confirms that the new compound could comfortably last a long stint. Our guide to reading tyre degradation from long runs explains how teams make this call from Friday’s data.
Where tyres faded
Not everyone found the Hard so easy to manage. Norris ran a long final stint on Hards and was holding second late on, but he locked up on lap 47 and lost the position to Verstappen. Hamilton reported losing front-tyre performance early in his stints and asked Ferrari for more front wing at his next stop to fix the balance.
Key Overtakes
Lap 1: Leclerc passed Verstappen for second, but Verstappen dived down the inside to take it back. Antonelli pulled out a 2.4-second lead. Behind them, Russell and Piastri made contact. Russell ran wide, gained an advantage, and was given a 5-second penalty.
Lap 32, the lead: Leclerc took the lead after the first pit stops, using fresher tyres. Antonelli caught him and retook the lead with a move down the inside. He was never challenged again.
Lap 47: Norris locked up and Verstappen passed him for second.
Laps 47–49: On his final set of Hards, Leclerc passed Norris and then caught Verstappen, taking second at Turn 12 at the end of the back straight on lap 49.
Lap 51: Hamilton passed Norris for fourth. He had already passed Hadjar for fifth on lap 42.
Most of the decisive passes happened at Turn 12, after the kilometre-long back straight. That’s where Overtake Mode helps most, because a chasing car keeps full electrical power to a higher speed, and where active aero gives the biggest top-speed gains. Fresher tyres meant better traction out of Turn 11, and that advantage carried all the way to the braking zone.
Russell’s Difficult Afternoon
Russell started sixth, but the 5-second penalty for his lap-1 clash with Piastri was added to his pit stop, and he came out behind both McLarens. He couldn’t find a way past Piastri and finished eighth. He called his race pace “rubbish.”
It’s another race where the two Mercedes drivers went in different directions. As our Antonelli vs Russell data analysis showed, the gap between them is built on Sundays, not in qualifying.
Other Notable Moments
- VSCs: There were two Virtual Safety Cars: a short one on lap 2 to clear debris, and another from laps 51 to 53 after Bottas stopped with the engine cutting out. Neither affected the lead.
- Antonelli’s lock-up: While lapping Sainz, Antonelli locked up into Turn 12 but kept the lead.
- Bortoleto: Despite an 80-place grid penalty for power unit changes, he finished 13th.
- Stroll: He started from the pit lane after his car was modified under parc fermé.
The Title Picture: Mexico Next
Antonelli needed to win, with Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton outside the top four. Only the first condition was met.
The standings after Austin:
- Kimi Antonelli: 365 points
- George Russell: 242 points
- Lewis Hamilton: 241 points
With 125 points left, Antonelli leads by 123. He clinches the title at the Mexico City Grand Prix (30 October–1 November) if he finishes ninth or higher, or if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins. Our title math breakdown covers every scenario.
To compare the one-stop and two-stop stints lap by lap, load the race data into our Interactive Telemetry Viewer.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 US Grand Prix? Kimi Antonelli won from pole for Mercedes, 13.078 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen finished third.
Did Antonelli win the title in Austin? No. He needed Hamilton outside the top four and Russell ninth or lower. Hamilton finished fourth and Russell eighth, so the title fight continues to Mexico.
What does Antonelli need to win the title in Mexico? A ninth-place finish or better. He also wins the title if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins the race.
What strategy won the US GP? A one-stop: Mediums to Hards. Antonelli pitted at the end of lap 24 and ran the C2 Hard to the finish, while Ferrari and Red Bull needed two stops.