Monday the 26th of Formula 1 was marked by the developments from the United States Grand Prix and the rapid shift of focus to Mexico. Kimi Antonelli is just two points away from clinching his first world title, while Mercedes could also have its first mathematical chance to secure the Constructors’ Championship. Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari, however, left Austin with important issues to resolve.
Antonelli arrives in Mexico City with 365 points, 123 clear of George Russell, who is in second with 242. After his ninth win of the season, the Italian needs only two more points to guarantee the championship and could seal the title four races early. Mercedes also leads the teams by a comfortable margin: 607 points against 474 for Ferrari, though they must widen the advantage to 172 in Mexico to secure the Constructors’ title ahead of schedule.
At Red Bull, explanations for Max Verstappen’s third place in Austin kept emerging. Laurent Mekies revealed that the RB22 picked up debris around the eighth lap and sustained damage, worsening balance issues and increasing tire degradation. Verstappen himself also criticized the two-stint strategy with Soft tires before switching to Mediums, saying that arrangement had not been pre-agreed. To cap things off, the team is still trying to determine the source of radio failures that affected both the Dutchman and Isack Hadjar.
The situation was also tricky for McLaren. Oscar Piastri finished only seventh, 20 seconds behind Lando Norris, and described the difficulties of extracting performance from the MCL40 as a kind of portrait of the season. The Australian extended his streak without a podium to 15 races and admitted that he could find pace at times, but struggled to repeat it consistently.
At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton is already directing part of his attention toward 2027. The Briton stated that he participates in discussions with engineers about the chassis and aerodynamics of the next car and also pointed to the power unit as an area that needs to move forward. The team left Austin with Charles Leclerc in second and Hamilton in fourth, a result that showcased competitiveness but still not enough to stop Mercedes from claiming another victory.
Outside the immediate team battles, another important piece of news involved the future of F1 tires. Bridgestone was reportedly evaluating a new attempt to return to the category and had sent representatives to the Singapore and United States Grands Prix. The Japanese manufacturer aims to present a proposal more competitive than in 2023, but any potential change of supplier could only take effect from 2029.
Thus, Formula 1 leaves Austin definitively with Antonelli very close to the title and already entering the week of the Mexico City Grand Prix. While Mercedes can turn its dominant season into two anticipated titles, the rivals arrive at the next race pressed to understand the issues that became evident during the United States weekend.
