The drive of a champion, before he’s champion

Circuit of The Americas was always going to be an unlikely venue for Kimi Antonelli to become the 2026 Formula 1 world champion, and so it proved, despite him coming extremely close.

Needing to win the race, Lewis Hamilton to be no higher than fifth and George Russell no higher than ninth, his two main rivals only bettered those finishing positions by one spot each. But Antonelli more than held up his side of the bargain, and then some.

RACE REPORT: Antonelli delivers dominant win at U.S. GP

The gushing tributes tend to come after a title has been secured, but there was something that Antonelli’s boss at Mercedes – team principal Toto Wolff – said that really stood out as reflecting just what a level he is operating on.

“On Kimi’s side, obviously that is the main headline – for me, the best race that he’s delivered so far,” Wolff said. “Getting off the start with the inferior tire and then controlling it at all times.

“The race of a champion who isn't the champion yet, but exceptional. So I think he's outperformed the car.”

Antonelli’s previous win came in Madrid in slightly fortuitous fashion, but prior to that there was a special performance at Monza when he climbed through the field for victory. Even when Wolff was reminded of that, he felt Austin was on a similar level that started on Saturday. Antonelli had looked competitive but not outright quickest during the practice sessions, but his first lap in Q3 was enough to secure a pole position that hadn’t looked truly on the cards.

Then a perfect launch off the line left him clear into Turn 1 and able to unleash race pace that Red Bull and Ferrari had no answer for, despite pre-race predictions that it would be a close fight.

“I think it was one of the best [performances], because of how we built up during the weekend,” Antonelli said. “And it was a great team effort as well today, especially with the strategy, believing in the one-stop. It was a really great team effort, and they all deserve this result today.

“Monza, we clearly had the fastest car. We were just super quick, so of course it was incredibly special coming from the back. But it was also a track where it was relatively easy to overtake, and we were so quick.

“Definitely, Monza was a super special one, and one that I will remember forever. But, this one probably, in terms of execution, was better, because the way we built up and the way we built the performance throughout the weekend was very good.”

Everyone else can worry about points scenarios – Antonelli just keeps grabbing he Bull by the horns. Sona Maleterova/Getty Images

What makes Antonelli’s performance all the more impressive is the context of how much focus there has been on the title picture. It was the first mathematical opportunity to become world champion, but needed a number of scenarios that were out of his hands to come to fruition. And yet he could not escape championship talk and questions, but it did not have a negative impact on his performance.

In fact, Antonelli appeared even more focused on the job at hand.

“I’m very lucky because I have a very good group of people around me,” the Italian said. “In the team, I have my father, who always comes, then my performance coach. I just have a great group of people around me that help me to be more relaxed and not worry about these kinds of things.

“They help me to block out the noise, and that’s also what's been allowing me to enjoy the weekend and perform. I think, obviously, there’s been a lot of talk. I’m not going to lie, on Thursday there was a lot of talk about the championship and stuff, and I just tried not to worry about that at all and just tried to deliver the best result I could. Today was a very important result for me and for the team.”

You could argue that it wasn’t actually an important result, but that would be only when you look at it through the championship context. Antonelli was all-but-guaranteed to become world champion as long as he stayed healthy, but to put in such a performance amid all the noise that he referenced was particularly significant. It’s yet another step forward in terms of Antonelli’s development, that put him very much in the realm of champions, even if – as Wolff pointed out – he hasn’t officially joined the club yet.

“It’s been a good surprise, this season so far,” he said. “Of course, it’s still not over. There are still a few races where I just want to do well and still try to fight for wins. It would be good to finish on a high.

“But, definitely looking back at the season, there are still things to work on and improve, on the mindset in certain situations or the way I handle a few scenarios. So, for sure, at the end of the season, I will have more time to look back at things: what went well, what could have been better. But definitely, it’s been a very consistent season so far, and we’ll try to keep it that way until the end.

“I’m going to approach it with the same mindset, just trying to have as much fun as possible, trying to hopefully fight for another win. But it would be best to finish on a high, and that’s the goal. I’m just going to try to enjoy the rest of the season from now on.”

The best drivers deliver in the biggest moments, and given the way Antonelli did at COTA, there’s a lot to be said for the fact you feel more confident that, given the car, he will do the same in Mexico City.