United States Grand Prix F1 Results 2026: Three-Pointed Star Shines Brightest in Lone Star State as Kimi takes Stunning Win

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• Kimi Antonelli took his ninth victory of the season in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, putting him on the verge of sealing the Drivers’ World Championship in Mexico next weekend. 
• The race was shaped by the strategic decisions in the opening 15 laps, with Red Bull committing Max Verstappen to a two-stop strategy and both Ferraris following suit. 
• We trusted the degradation and lap times we were seeing and opted not to cover, committing Kimi and George to the one-stop strategy. 
• That proved to be the right call, as Kimi took the checkered flag 13 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc and Verstappen. 
• George endured a more difficult afternoon, struggling with the balance of the car and receiving a penalty following an incident on the opening lap. 
• Despite a strong start to his second stint, his progress was halted when he caught the McLaren of Piastri and was unable to find a way through. 
• Kimi’s victory is the team’s sixth at the Circuit of the Americas, following our wins in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. 
• Pierluigi Orsi, Chief of Aerodynamic Technology, represented the team on the podium.
• Kimi now leads the standings by 123 points meaning a P9 finish or higher will secure the title for him. 

Driver	Grid	Result	Fastest Lap	Start Tyre	Stop One
Kimi Antonelli	P1	P1	1:39.086	Medium	Hard (L24)
George Russell	P6	P8	1:39.928	Medium	Hard (L22)

Kimi Antonelli

What an incredible feeling. After Friday, I don’t think any of us expected to be standing here with the win, so to turn the weekend around like this is really special. The car felt great today, and I was able to control the race, but it definitely wasn’t easy. There was pressure throughout and I knew I couldn’t afford to make a mistake. I just tried to stay calm, focus on each lap and execute the race.

A huge thank you to everyone here at the track and back at Brackley and Brixworth. We kept working after a difficult Friday and never gave up. To repay all that work with a victory feels amazing. I’m very proud of what we achieved today.

George Russell

It was another difficult day for me today. I just didn’t have the pace and I’m unsure why that is. My first stint wasn’t great, and I was struggling initially on the Medium tire but after the pitstop my pace felt stronger and I felt I could make some progress. However, once I caught up with the McLaren of Piastri, I just couldn’t overtake and ended up stuck behind him for the remaining laps of the race. 

The time penalty from the opening lap cost me a couple of places but overall, the pace just wasn’t good enough today for me to be fighting at the front. The lack of performance is something me and the team will look at and work on over the next couple of days. Hopefully we can make some improvements ahead of next weekend in Mexico and come back stronger for the rest of the season.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

That was an exceptional drive from Kimi. He and the team didn’t put a foot wrong all afternoon, showing strong pace throughout along with making all the right decisions strategically. What makes today particularly satisfying is where we came from on Friday. We didn’t look like we had a car capable of winning this race, but the team kept working, made good decisions and turned the weekend around. That is a credit to everyone here in Austin and back in Brackley and Brixworth.

For George, it was a more difficult afternoon, and the result doesn’t reflect the pace we know he has. He was hindered by a five-second time penalty that dropped him behind the McLarens and then he got stuck behind Piastri. We will look at this weekend overall, understand what we could have done differently and work together to make sure he can have a stronger weekend in Mexico.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

Well done to Kimi and everyone in Brackley and Brixworth on the win. After Friday, a race victory simply didn’t look achievable given our single-lap and long-run pace, so it’s been a remarkable turnaround and a very satisfying result.

For George, it was a frustrating afternoon. The penalty for going off track on the opening lap didn’t help and, despite making a strong start to his second stint, he got stuck behind Piastri and couldn’t find a way through.

There were encouraging signs with the car pace, although since the update it does feel like the set-up window has become a little harder to hit. Operationally though, the team did a very good job. The strategy decisions weren’t clear-cut, but we held our nerve, made the right call to stick with the one-stop, and the pit stops were solid.

Most of all, Kimi should be incredibly pleased with his performances. It was a difficult Friday, but what he produced in qualifying, and the race today, was exceptional.

The Psychology of owners who drive old Mercedes-Benz Cars -- Very insightful!

 There is plenty to learn from in watching this video. What caused me jump at posting this is that it explained to me far more about myself than any psychiatrist or self-help book could. One point really struck home -- the issue of my need for autonomy. That has been at the heart of my personality my entire life. I detested service in the army; at jobs that demanded I follow "their" formulas or rules or schedules or timeline.  No wonder I hated working at a Catholic university! The administration was always interfering with my lehrfreiheit and lernfreiheit.  I just wanted to be left alone to do a job I knew how to do. Deans ,Associate Provosts, etc. always threw roadblocks by setting up curricula structures that I did not want to follow. So did colleagues who I would label a part of the "Confederacy of Dunces."

Autonomy -- anytime it is compromised even in retirement I chafe.  The Church and a call for obedience -- I am more than a little wary.

And it explains why I like to drive my 1982 Mercedes 380 SL when I could drive a new S class if I wanted to.

United States F1 Grand Prix Preview -- Mercedes-Benz -- "Circuit of the Americas"

 

Toto on Austin

The weekends in Malaysia and Singapore were difficult for us and we worked hard to identify our weak points. In Austin, we now have the opportunity to respond to this. We will use our latest update package on both cars while continuing to drive the development of the car. The field is incredibly close, so we need to keep improving if we want to keep up with the front runners in the closing stages of the season.

The United States Grand Prix heralds another challenging triple-header. The stakes are high, but we don't want to rush into anything. Our priority is on the upcoming weekend: we want to do our job in the best possible way, maximise our performance and take every race as it comes.

For us, Austin will also be an important weekend away from the track, as there will be numerous commercial activities taking place throughout the city. The focus is on the takeover by AMG and MANUFAKTUR, which will bring the performance, craftsmanship and individuality of the entire Mercedes family to life throughout the weekend. We look forward to showcasing this and ultimately convincing where it matters most: on the track.

Insights from the third driver

Austin always has a fantastic atmosphere and an incredible fan base. I'm really looking forward to seeing you at our fan hub event in the city centre and to great racing. The "Circuit of The Americas" represents a unique challenge for both the drivers and the team. The track surface is notoriously bumpy, which makes it difficult to find the right balance with the car and manage the performance of the tyres over a lap and stint. It is crucial to find the right setup. That's why we spend so much time preparing in the simulator before the race weekend.

The first sector is one of the most exciting sections of the track. Turn one is a steep climb before descending into a series of fast, flowing corners where the car is pushed to its limits. It's incredibly satisfying when you succeed, but it's also very easy to make a mistake and go off the track.

Overall, it's a fantastic circuit with a great mix of technical challenges and overtaking opportunities, which usually makes for exciting races.

Did you know?

• This year's United States Grand Prix will be held again in the usual race weekend format after three years of sprint weekends.
• The difference in altitude from the starting grid to the apex of the first corner is a good 40 metres (134 feet), making it one of the largest on the entire F1 calendar.
• Mercedes has scored four one-two finishes at the United States Grand Prix in Austin so far - more than any other team.
• Lewis Hamilton remains the most successful driver at COTA with five wins in Austin, including four consecutive wins between 2014 and 2017. At this track, he also secured his third (2015) and sixth (2019) F1 titles while driving for the team.
• COTA has been the venue for the United States Grand Prix since 2012.

The Development of the Mercedes W 123, 1970s

 

Automobile Loan Delinquency Rates, 2003 - Present

 

 

As someone who looks to the future of America with trepidation, the following statistics support my wariness of the sustainability of prosperity in the years ahead. Too much debt, all around. Too much income inequality. Too many Americans want things indicative of class status. There has to be an economic blowout soon.

Here are two useful U.S. auto-loan delinquency events. They measure different things, so don’t compare their percentages directly.

Balances at least 90 days delinquent — share of outstanding auto-loan balances, quarterly and not seasonally adjusted. The New York Fed series runs from 2003; selected points show the crisis-era peak and the subsequent rise. ¹

Quarter	Delinquent balances
Q1 2003	2.33%
Q4 2007	3.05%
Q4 2010	5.27%
Q4 2012	4.03%
Q4 2015	3.37%
Q4 2019	4.94%
Q4 2021	3.98%
Q4 2023	4.17%
Q4 2024	4.83%
Q4 2025	5.21%
Q2 2026	5.49%

The 90-day rate reached 5.27% in Q4 2010; the reported Q2 2026 value is 5.49%. ¹

Balances at least 30 days past due, excluding severe derogatory loans — seasonally adjusted New York Fed/Equifax series. ²

Quarter	Delinquency rate
Q1 2000	3.27%
Q1 2009	4.57%
Q3 2012	2.72%
Q4 2017	3.03%
Q4 2019	2.99%
Q2 2020	2.35%
Q2 2021	2.22%
Q4 2022	3.24%
Q4 2023	3.62%
Q2 2024	3.81%

[1]

That 30-day rate fell sharply in 2020–21, then climbed through the latest observation in the Federal Reserve’s 2024 data. ²

These are balance-based rates—not the share of borrowers who missed a payment or the number of repossessions. For longer history and methodology, the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax series is the key source; the 30-day series’ published table here ends at Q2 2024, while the 90-day series runs through Q2 2026. ^{2 1}

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  https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/rising-auto-loan-delinquencies-and-high-monthly-payments-accessible-20240926.htm

Cars at the Crossroads: Masters and Slaves of the Technologies we use?

 

I took this photograph last evening at dusk near Tappan Square in Oberlin, Ohio. There is nothing particularly special about this photo, neither in terms of the cars nor the place. Just a few moments before I snapped the shutter, I was shocked to have a 1964 Studebaker Lark pass by. But before I could react it was gone.

Even in a small town in the Midwest technology sets a pace of life that we simply can't escape, even as the sun sets after a nice, warm day.  The automobile shapes our spaces and lights the way. To what degree does it determine our lives, and how will we respond to impersonal forces that it undoubtedly creates? When are we masters of the technology around us and when are we, their slaves?