Antonelli Wins 9th Race in Austin, Moves 124 Points From F1 Title

Q: Ferrari dominated practice but stumbled in qualifying; what hidden tire temperature issues derailed their US Grand Prix strategy?

Ferrari’s qualifying drop was mainly caused by a tyre warm-up problem triggered by a small fall in track temperature, which pushed the car out of its narrow operating window just as Q3 began. Charles Leclerc said Ferrari did not suddenly lose pace because rivals found a special engine mode; instead, the issue was “mostly the tyres.” A little more cloud cover in Q3 reduced the track temperature by only one or two degrees, but for Ferrari that was “night and day.” Leclerc reported sliding already on the out-lap, a clear sign the tyres were not generating enough heat before the push lap. That exposed a trait of the Ferrari package seen elsewhere this season. The car is good at keeping tyre temperatures under control over long runs, which helps on Sundays, but it can struggle to switch the tyres on quickly over a single lap. In Austin’s hot-but-variable conditions, that became critical. Ferrari had looked dominant in practice because it could exploit strong pace through the low-speed corners, the esses and the final sector, but qualifying required precise tyre preparation at exactly the right moment. Lewis Hamilton pointed to another weakness — a straight-line speed deficit to Red Bull and Mercedes — but he said his own lap felt clean and the car balance remained good. That supports the view that Ferrari’s bigger hidden problem in Q3 was not chassis balance, but failing to get enough temperature into the tyres on the out-lap once the asphalt cooled slightly.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Oct 25

Kimi Antonelli led all 56 laps from pole to win the U.S. Grand Prix, his ninth victory of 2026, leaving the 20-year-old Mercedes driver one point shy of sealing the championship.
A 124-point lead with five races left means Antonelli can clinch next weekend in Mexico City, with only 125 points still available to his nearest rival.
Charles Leclerc finished second and Max Verstappen third after both tried two-stop strategies, but neither could reel in Antonelli after his lone stop on Lap 25.
George Russell slipped to eighth after a 5-second penalty, barely preserving mathematical title hopes as Mercedes' younger driver closes on becoming F1's youngest champion.
The Italian would also become Formula 1's first champion from Italy since Alberto Ascari in 1953 if he wraps up the title in Mexico.