Kimi Antonelli wins United States Grand Prix in Austin

George Russell finished eighth at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on 25 October 2026, finishing more than 54 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli dominated the race from pole position, whereas Russell started sixth and finished eighth. The British driver received a five-second penalty on the opening lap for gaining an advantage after he left the track to defend against Oscar Piastri at Turn 12. Without this penalty, Russell would have finished seventh, which would have gained him two points over the McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, who finished seventh. Russell told Sky Sports that he was "not being quick enough" and struggled to find pace during his first stint. He explained that while he managed six laps on hard tyres where he was lapping at the same pace as Antonelli, he spent the remaining 50 laps struggling to find any comparable speed. This lack of performance follows a difficult stretch where Russell failed to reach the podium in three consecutive races. In Malaysia, Russell retired due to a power unit failure while Antonelli finished second behind Max Verstappen, and in Singapore, Russell finished ninth behind Antonelli and Verstappen.

Toto Wolff seeks performance answers

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff wants to understand why George Russell cannot match the performance of Kimi Antonelli, who is in his sophomore season. Wolff told BBC Sport that when the car lands in the way that suits Russell, he is absolutely fine, but the driver struggles when the car drops out of its operational window. The Mercedes boss stated that he must work out with Russell how there can be such a difference in driving and performance because the driver is not half a second or three tenths slower than Antonelli. Wolff questioned what the team must do to modify the car or change the setup to allow the driver to go fast through intelligence, ability, and determination. Russell intends to "dig deep" into the data with Mercedes engineers to address the recent drop in results. This investigation follows a season where the driver has struggled with the W17, which he claims has a "narrow set-up window" following its introduction in Malaysia. Wolff is adamant that Russell has more ability than he is currently showing and cannot understand why he has not been able to prove it this season. Russell noted that his performance remains inconsistent, as he finished ninth in Singapore and failed to score podium points in both Malaysia and Austin.

Championship requirements and standings

Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 123 points with 125 points still available before the season concludes. Antonelli only needs two more points to be crowned champion if Russell wins every remaining grand prix from this point onward. The upcoming race in Mexico City on 1 November 2026 offers several scenarios for the title fight. If Russell wins the Mexican Grand Prix, Antonelli needs to finish P9 or higher to secure the championship. If Lewis Hamilton wins the race, Antonelli must finish P10 or higher to avoid losing the title.

Russell sits one point ahead of Lewis Hamilton for second place, while Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc trail the Mercedes driver by six and nine points, respectively. Mercedes holds a 133-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. The points distribution for the remaining top ten drivers includes Lando Norris with 211, Oscar Piastri with 144, Isack Hadjar with 105, Liam Lawson with 77, and Pierre Gasly with 42. Because Russell aims to finish as the best of the rest, he stated that finishing P2, P3, or P5 does not mean anything if he does not win the championship.